IX-26
the exhibitors who showed the trusts' films. The two important developments film
subjects during the heyday the MPPC (1908-1913)— the
development longer, feature films and the star system— are
ascribed the independent film makers who finally broke the
Trust. The Trust was concerned not only with making profits
. received the lion's share the income
of the MPPC which was about $1,000,000 year from 1909 to
1914. was similar to
many other patent pools and monopoly organizations American
industry and finally achieved Edison's goal monopoly his
film camera patents. 37
Film historians have often interpreted the MPPC a
conservative monopoly that retarded the development film
both art and mass entertainment. Longer and more elaborate
productions, with highly paid stars, would merely add cost to
the product.
Recent scholarship has shown different MPPC. The members the trust
are sometimes depicted conservative businessmen only
concerned with mass producing standard lengths film for a
captive audience. Robert
Anderson has shown that far from being retarding influence on
American film, the MPPC brought order chaos and created a
strong American industry that could compete with European film
makers. can argued that the MPPC had incentive to
innovate; they claimed account for seven-eights film
production and distribution, and struggled meet the voracious
demands the film exhibitors
