Historical movie gives insight into film history

Those with an interest in film history should check out Early Cinema: Primitives & Pioneers (British Film Institute), two discs packing in 60 very short films made between 1895 to 1906.

Running to just 187 minutes, it covers such subjects as a wall being demolished to the arrival of a train, plus simple everyday events like a family dinner — not as boring as they sound.

Apart from the historical value of works by Lumiere and Edwin Porter’s The Great Train Robbery, you can also see the first use of cinema techniques from close-ups to multi-shot films.

Film historyStar rating: 3/5.