Dickson Greeting (1891)

Thursday

Jan142010

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 survives the passing of time. 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.

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).

This conclusion fits with Dickson’s own conception of film. Moving images, for him, are 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. Fortunately, for Dickson, he was able to create works that do not only aim at basic entertainment, 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.

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ESSENTIAL FILMS: Chapter I – Welcome into the world of film