Part 5/9:

Following the initial success of the Lumière brothers, cinema began to evolve rapidly. In 1896, Alice Guy-Blaché directed one of the first narrative fiction films, showcasing the potential of storytelling through this medium. The introduction of synchronized sound and longer feature lengths marked further milestones in cinematic evolution. By 1906, the genre of the “long feature film” began to take shape, and cinema solidified its role as both an artistic endeavor and a means of communication.

During World War I, the use of film burgeoned into patriotic propaganda, with powerful examples like The Birth of a Nation—which, despite its problematic subject matter, innovated filming techniques—exemplifying cinema’s dual capacity for storytelling and influence on public opinion.