Today in History–April 28–the Library of Congress features Billy Bitzer, who filmed the short comedy Stealing a Dinner for the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company on this date in 1899. Bitzer was a great pioneer of early film and shot thousands of movies, including the infamous The Birth of a Nation. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the…
Today in History–June 4–the Library of Congress features Dorothy and Lillian Gish, sisters and early film stars. On this day in 1968, Dorothy (Elizabeth) died in Rapallo, Italy. The sisters got their start in film in 1912. Dorothy was a working actress for more than 50 years and Lillian for 75 years, appearing in her final…
Today in History–February 8–the Library of Congress features the controversial silent film, The Birth of a Nation, which premiered on this day in 1915. Although the film advanced the art of cinema, it did so by telling a story with a skewed, racist vision of U.S. history. Protested by many, the film was ultimately a great commercial success….