Passage 1 - Cinema
1 One of the marvels of cinema is that it is the result of global endeavour. It has been said that cinema,
like the detective story, makes it possible to experience without danger all the excitement which must
be repressed in normal life. Since its inception at the end of the nineteenth century, it has become a
popular and inspiring art form all over the world.
2 A breakthrough in the production of moving images occurred in 1878 when, in order to prove that a
galloping horse lifts all four legs off the ground simultaneously, a racehorse was photographed every
thousandth of a second by several cameras along the race- track. In 1889 came the invention of a
camera which could take ten consecutive pictures per second using celluloid film, fol- lowed the next
year by the advent of the kinetoscope. This box- shaped device showed a strip of film carrying images in
sequence; its drawback was that, as the film was viewed through the top of the device, it could be used
only by one individual at a time. By the late nineteenth century, the possibility of cinema as we know it
today was realised with the invention of the film pro- jector, which allowed films to be shown on a
screen to many people simultaneously. The fact that, for example, acrobats and sporting events like
boxing could be recorded meant that they could be shown repeatedly at no extra cost to the producers.
These early films lasted about a minute, and were flat, rather dull compositions, but that in no way
detracted from their popularity.
3 At first films were shown in theatres or by travelling showmen in temporary venues, but a major
development came with the building of permanent cinemas, the first of these being in 1905 in
Pittsburgh, USA. By this time, although films lasted no more than a few minutes, enough of them had
been produced to create programmes lasting for half an hour; these programmes could be changed
weekly when the audience became bored. It is aston- ishing that in the USA, by 1907, there were 4,000
cinemas, called 'Nickelodeons' after the first one in Pittsburgh.
4 Cinema films at first comprised moving images only, without sound, and to popularise them they
were often accompanied by live 35 si, usually provided by a pianist, but sometimes by groups of
musicians. Where the entire story could not be portrayed by the m narrators were used to fill in the
missing parts; in Japan, ir cample, narrators called benshi slotted naturally into this role they were
descendants of an old oral tradition of story-telling. 40 Ler sound was added to these silent films, giving
rise to the m talkies'; sound-on-disc played back a pre-recorded sound Synchronise with the film,
although the synchronicity was often far from accurate. An improvement came with sound-on-film, an
innovation where the sound was actually recorded on to the film ather than played alongside it,
although amplification of the sound was often a problem.
Section 1: Reading for ideas
Read Passage 1 in the insert and answer all the questions below.
Identify and write down the points in the passage which describe the stages in the development and rise
in popularity of the cinema, and the reasons for its continuing popularity
USE THE MATERIAL FROM PARAGRAPHS 2-6 INCLUSIVE. At this stage, you need NOT use your own
words. To help you get started, the first point in each section of notes is done for you. You will be
awarded up to 15 marks for content points.
Main points
The stages in the development and rise in popularity of the cinema
• Raceborse photographed every thousandth of a second by several cameras.
Reasons for the continuing popularity of the cinema today
• Cinema has been enhanced by improved technology (in sound effects/lighting)
2. Summary [5 marks ]
Use your own words to write the summary
This time, you will be awarded up to 5 marks for using your own words wherever possible and for
accurate use of language. Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not note form), must be
no longer than 160 words, including the 10 words given below. Begin your summary as follows:
An important development in the history of the cinema was
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3. From your reading of paragraph 1, decide whether each of the following statements is true, false, or
not stated in the passage, and tick the boxes you have chosen.
Statement True False N/S
Cinema was not invented
by one person.
Ordinary life is full of
excitement.
Detectives stories began
in nineteenth century.
4. From paragraph 3, write down one opinion. You are free to use your own words or the words of the
passage.
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5. From paragraph 6, write down one opinion. You are free to use your own words or the words of the
passage.
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