# HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTURE CAMERA & EARLY MOVIES LUMIERE BROTHERS 42754

The 1947 film The Biography of the Motion Picture Camera is an art documentary produced by Les Films du Compas and Roger Leenhardt, and narrated by Tony Kraber. The film traces the history of the development of motion pictures from the first camera to Edison’s kinetoscope and the Lumiere brothers’ cinematograph. The film begins with a brief recap of photographing still simple subjects. The issue of animating still photographs is apparent with the “School of the Successive Pose” ( 01:51 ), and it isn’t until Dr. Etienne-Jules Marey begins his study of movement that the motion picture camera’s foundation is laid. Marey’s study of motion began with Karl von Vierordt’s sphygmograph ( 03:20 —likely a Marey design of Vierordt’s invention). Marey then adapts the sphygmograph to fit a horse and rider ( 04:09 ) in order to record the movement of the horse (at a walk, trot, and gallop). Marey’s graph reveals that on the third beat, a horse rested on only one leg, a conclusion that was at odds with the current understanding of how horses galloped. Avid horse racing fan Leland Stanford places a $25,000 bet on Marey’s conclusion and hires photographer Eadweard Muybridge ( 05:28 ) to prove Marey’s theory using a battery of 24 cameras to photograph the galloping horse ( 05:45 —recreation of camera battery). Muybridge’s album is sent to Marey, who is impressed and takes up photography to better understand movement. Marey invents his own chronophotograph to better capture movement ( 07:30…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: History, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/42754TheBiographyOfTheMotionPictureCamera)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/42754TheBiographyOfTheMotionPictureCamera?play=1)