Here is the famous film so beloved of film freaks and homaged by directors.
The earliest work in narrative is also one of the most dazzling early works. It's violent, high-paced, and colorful. Yet what makes it really worth the the bother to find is its creativity, at least at the time.
So far, all the narrative techniques had not yet been developed, such as close-ups and the like. This film had to tell a whole story using what little experience it had, so it does it well. Firstly, double-exposures helped replace the standard wide-shot and also were used as special effects. Secondly, most of the action is contained to relatively small environments, so the filmmakers used a lot of depth in the frame to widen it and make it seem more real. Thirdly, color was used.
It's also the film that has the famous image of the cowboy shooting at the screen, even if that image is largely useless by today's need for narrative arch.
It was meant to dazzle, not to make sense. The fact that it can still dazzle today is what helps people understand its quality.
--PolarisDiB
The earliest work in narrative is also one of the most dazzling early works. It's violent, high-paced, and colorful. Yet what makes it really worth the the bother to find is its creativity, at least at the time.
So far, all the narrative techniques had not yet been developed, such as close-ups and the like. This film had to tell a whole story using what little experience it had, so it does it well. Firstly, double-exposures helped replace the standard wide-shot and also were used as special effects. Secondly, most of the action is contained to relatively small environments, so the filmmakers used a lot of depth in the frame to widen it and make it seem more real. Thirdly, color was used.
It's also the film that has the famous image of the cowboy shooting at the screen, even if that image is largely useless by today's need for narrative arch.
It was meant to dazzle, not to make sense. The fact that it can still dazzle today is what helps people understand its quality.
--PolarisDiB