1910 A Trip To Mars - Thomas Edison

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• published: 21 Mar 2011
• views: 202645

This film was produced by Thomas Edison for his Home Kinetoscope in 1910, The First American Science fiction movie. We scanned 10,000 frames from the original print and reconstructed it. We also added a period sound track. As far as we can determine this is the only existing copy. It comes as a bit of a surprise to me , that some people want to use this neat little film as a platform to attack Thomas Edison. Evidently some see it as a threat to the great Lumiere film "A tip to the Moon" and its prominence in cinematographic history. This is interesting - I am not sure the two films are even related in any way - but obviously it is not some rip off of Lumiere as has has been suggested. It is apparent that one is a french film, the other american and that the Edison film includes elements of modern cinema lacking in the Lumiere film. The second arena of attack has to do with Edison's character and his almost universal acceptance as the "inventor" of many inventions including the electric light and motion pictures. Few would deny him the phonograph but some point to the phonautograph visual sound "recorder" as a proceeding idea in order to lessen the significance of Edison's accomplishment' Often the attacks contain the implication that a poor, Tesla, Swan, or Le prince was cheated out of great fortune and glory by Edison, making him a very bad man.. (BTW why isn't MUybridge given more considerations in these speculations. NO one seems to have worked with motion pictures earlier than he. Also If anyone removed Le Prince from the picture, would n' t the logical choice be Muybridge?) I have no idea what Edison actually claimed for himself personally and how much was claimed for him by others. But the idea that his fame or his accomplishments are not real or well deserved is just plain balderdash. One thing that many of these attacks have in common is the assumption that if someone has a wonderful idea or even works, in varying degrees, towards its accomplishment, he is immediately entitled to all the glory and remuneration associated with the idea. I suppose this is the whole idea behind a patent and there were, indeed,patent wars a plenty over many of Edison's great concepts. Even so, before many of the concepts took practical hold, most of the patents had expired and anyone was free to get into the fray. I hate to burst bubbles, but folks working with a good idea (and I think there are practically no truly original ones by anybody, including Edison,Tesla,Swan or Le Prince) have a very daunting task. Edison understood this very well and part of his genius was that he actually produced something useable, manufactured, marketed , sold and distributed it. Edison brought his work to the world through genius, diligence and hard work and in so doing changed it forever. It is not unfair that people associate many wonderful creations with him and consider him the originator . . .That Edison is the "de facto" inventor of many of our modern wonders is a totally true.statement. At any rate these are, admittedly, my opinions, but since I uploaded the video I get to say what I wish. For all others please limit your comments to the film itself. This is not the place to rewrite Edison history or consider the great mans motives and ethics. Since the film has received so many views I uploaded it in a higher resolution and although the actual film is in a format even less than modern 8mm - its existence is still a very fortunate thing..