the wild
competitive days before the Trust, poorly made foreign films
were imported into the American market. The Nickelodeons certainly started as
places low repute, but were soon frequented the middle
classes. the leading member the Trust (with Biograph),
the Edison company did its part developing longer, higher
quality film subjects and signing the stars the Broadway
OO
stage. The MPPC did its part improve the quality movies
because respectability also meant the increased income the
middle class audience. the business grew from a
novelty industry international scope, the managers of
the Kinetograph department, led John White, took more
attention the quality the film product.
When the film exhibition business began the late
1890s, Edison was primarily concerned with reducing the price
of the standard film strips made for exhibitors— the artistic
39
content the film was not considered important.IX-27
but also raising the quality the film subjects. the turn of
the century, they were busy buying the rights literature,
including the work Mark Twain, and signing well-known stage
. Films were
treated commodity West Orange, another product be
economically manufactured and sold. Like the disc machine, Edison's motion picture
business was increasingly aimed the more respectable, and
affluent, middle classes. These films accelerated
the opposition the moral depravity the movies. The films
of the MPPC were not mundane subjects without regard to
content
