This year marks 110 years since the release of one of D.W. Griffith's lesser known films, The Lonedale Operator.
After her father is taken ill, a girl takes over the running of a telegraph station, only to find herself harassed by two thieves.
While Griffith was a lauded director of the era, known for his lengthy epic A Birth of a Nation, he was also a pioneer of cinematography.
A Lonedale Operator flits over several genres in its short runtime, from setting the scene with romance, slowing building up tension and then releasing it as action. Finally, a light-hearted comedy scene brings the film to a close.
In addition to featuring several different scenes, and a large number of cuts between them - both of which was fairly uncommon at the time - The Lonedale Operator is one of the earliest films to feature the use of a close-up.
You can watch The Lonedale Operator, in full, below.
Comments
Post a Comment