Pre-war
1914
Outbreak of the war
1915
1916
1917
1918
End of the war
Post-war

Karin Moser

Chapter

From travelling show to cinema

Even before the turn of the century, vaudeville theatres were the main venue for film projections in Austria-Hungary, and travelling shows remained popular until 1910. Because there were so few films, the main programme needed to have variety, and the shows also had to move around rapidly to different places.

Chapter

The first cinematograph in Vienna – a medium takes Austria-Hungary by storm

After the Lumière brothers had presented the cinematographic technology for the first time commercially on 28 December 1895 on Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, there were shows the following February in London, Bordeaux and Brussels. The ‘living photographs’ were presented in Vienna on 20 March 1896.

Chapter

Projection shows – precursors of the cinema

Even before the cinematograph conquered the world, showmen presented colourful and spectacular pictures to the public. Attracted by the fascinating moving pictures, audiences immersed themselves in this new sensory experience and forerunner of the visual cinema.

Chapter

Power and the public: political movements in historical films

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, popular political parties began to form in the German-speaking part of the Monarchy: Social Democrats, Christian Socialists and German Nationalists. They gradually began to make their appearance in documentary films and newsreels in Austria-Hungary.

Chapter

Movement in films – sport, gymnastics and physical culture

During the nineteenth century sport developed into an increasingly popular pastime, and sports became more professional at the same time. People invested increasingly in sports equipment. Whether as a leisure activity by the wealthy upper classes or a mass pursuit, the cinema captured all these sporting developments on camera.

Chapter

Capturing the unusual: the Vienna Prater

Old photographs and early film recordings show that photographers and film-makers – whether professional or amateur – liked to record unusual events, such as a visit to the Prater, as a means of preserving the special and memorable moments, a day of carefree happiness that can be relived for an instant.

Chapter

Voyaging and travelling: tourism and tourism films

In the nineteenth century people’s experience of the world had expanded, and the world itself was larger and also more accessible, thanks not only to the faster means of transport but also to the cinema.

Chapter

The thrill of speed in film: heroes of the road and air

Automobile drivers, members of the wealthy upper classes, were seen increasingly on the roads. While they drew admiration, the conquerors of the air were celebrated as true heroes. Film-makers were quickly on the scene to give the film-going public a taste of this new luxury mobile leisure.

Chapter

Mobility in film: conquering new spaces

Railways and steamships offered people greater mobility in the nineteenth century, boosted around 1900 by bicycles, automobiles and aeroplanes and also shown in films. Mobility became a visual experience.

Chapter

Cinematic fascination: the machine in war propaganda

New sources of energy and power-driven machinery changed industrial production and work. The industrial promotion film soon developed as a genre, drawing attention to technical progress in general and in detail. Many films were made during the war showing the efficiency of the industrial war effort in Austria-Hungary.

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