Dickson Greeting (1891)

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Jan122012

Jan 12, 2012 |

Dickson Greeting (1891)

William K.L. Dickson | United States of America | 1891

Dickson’s film is neither the first, nor the most celebrated work of the experimental period. In a dark room, a man (William K.L. Dickson) greets us and bows to the camera. This simple gesture, made over 120 years ago, survives the passing of time, almost undated. It is a symbolic invitation into the world of motion pictures, with its elegance and heartfelt emotions.

The first film to be exhibited in public could not have had a more appropriate theme than Dickson Greeting. The question on auteurist intentionality is speculative here, yet it seems reasonable to assume that after perfecting the technology used for shooting the Monkeyshines series a year earlier, the Edison Manufacturing Company was in search of a moving image that would attract headlines. After the first exhibition at the National Federation of Women's Clubs on the 20th of May 1891, the New York Sun noted on the front page that this “was a most marvellous picture” (1), that “[every] motion was perfect” (1). Other papers, as David Copeland’s research suggests, have likened the event to an act of modern sorcery (2), thus praising the way technology has changed the outlook of an entire generation.

The search for meaning within the film image can thus be traced to the very origin of the medium. Film was born at that point, as an art that can stand by its own, yet it benefits from the presence of an audience that is to judge it. It is interesting that criticism was not expected to develop in analytical terms, but on emotional grounds, (as the first reviews of the film suggest). As such, it is fair to say that ‘criticism’ was hardly a word on anyone’s mind when they’ve encountered with Dickson Greeting. A more fitting word would be ‘awe’.

This conclusion fits with Dickson’s own conception of film. Moving images, for him, were aimed at transporting the audience into an unknown environment. It is thus the role of the filmmaker to be able to bring that through his work, and in consequence to create that emotional experience. The public’s reaction, their acceptance of that experience, become then the guiding principles of a film director. Therefore, one can safely say that film, in its American incarnation, was coined solely as a commercial artefact aimed at entertainment.

Fortunately, for Dickson, he was able to create works that do not only aim to entertain, but also contain a metaphor, a theme that elevates the content of the image above the ordinary. Dickson Greeting is an excellent example of metaphor in action. It was a first film that proved that motion pictures had the potential to become an art form, irrespective of whether or not their makers intended it as such. Once Dickson and Heise had managed to ensure that their kinetograph can take clear enough pictures that can be shown using the kinetoscope, the path towards the attainment of the status as an ‘art form’ was wide open. The key was to allow the medium to thrive not so much in the hands of engineers, but primarily artists. Providentially, as King John (1899) suggests later, William K.L. Dickson fitted both descriptions.

(1) The Kintegograph. New York: New York Sun, 28 May 1891.
(2) Copeland, David A.. The Media’s Role in Defining the Nation: The Active Voice. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2010.