Watched Paul Merton's rather touching tribute to the cinema pioneers of 1895 onwards on BBC Four this evening; poignant in particular for the likes of Georges Melies and Max Linder - Melies spending his later years running a solitary toy shop in Paris after his style had gone out of fashion, and Max Linder (whom Merton clearly feels a comedic affinity for) had a life that was demoralised tragically by the First World War. These two men were cinematic giants, and still are, for those who keep their reputation alive.
Paul also makes such a simple but devastatingly truthful observation: without these slightly eccentric figures of the late 19th century, we would not have the medium of television, movies and video that we have today. It's so ingrained in our psyche, that we simply cannot imagine life not being re-created magically on a screen - something which the first audiences of 1895 were so startled by.
BBC website link
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