145-534: Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian filmmaker known primarily for his work in Telugu cinema , besides a few Hindi films . Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has directed over a hundred films across various genres, including romantic comedies, fantasies, melodramas, action thrillers, biographical dramas, and romances. He has received numerous accolades, including four Nandi Awards and five Filmfare Awards South . Raghavendra Rao received
290-763: A memorandum of understanding with the Motion Picture Association of America to combat video piracy. In the years 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2014 the industry has produced the largest number of films in India, exceeding the number of films produced in Bollywood . The digital cinema network company UFO Moviez marketed by Southern Digital Screenz (SDS) has digitised several cinemas in the region. The Film and Television Institute of Telangana, Film and Television Institute of Andhra Pradesh, Ramanaidu Film School and Annapurna International School of Film and Media are some of
435-569: A "must watch" with children. Eega won various awards at the 8th Toronto After Dark Film Festival . Sub Genre war drama Kanche (2015) by Krish Jagarlamudi explored the 1944 Nazi attack on the Indian army in the Italian campaign , during World War II in an engrossing background tale of caste-ism while giving it a technically brilliant cinematic rendition. Sankalp Reddy explored submarine warfare in his directorial debut Ghazi (2017), based on
580-445: A 16 fps projection of the same reel would take 16 minutes and 40 seconds, or 304 millimetres (12.0 in) per second. In the 1950s, many telecine conversions of silent films at grossly incorrect frame rates for broadcast television may have alienated viewers. Film speed is often a vexed issue among scholars and film buffs in the presentation of silents today, especially when it comes to DVD releases of restored films , such as
725-401: A Telugu person. He sent his son, Raghupathi Surya Prakash Naidu (R. S. Prakash) to study filmmaking in the studios of England , Germany , and United States . In 1921, they made Bhishma Pratigna , generally considered as the first Telugu feature film. Venkaiah Naidu produced the film, while R. S. Prakash directed and produced it along with playing the title character Bhishma . As
870-456: A folklore film hero into a star of social films. Missamma (1955), directed by L. V. Prasad , and adapted from two Bengali works, became a landmark in Telugu cinema. It was celebrated for its blend of humour, drama, and social commentary. Savitri emerged as a leading actress after this film. Likewise, Thodi Kodallu (1957) and Mangalya Balam (1959) were also adapted from Bengali novels. In
1015-413: A key professional in silent film and was often separate from the scenario writer who created the story. Inter-titles (or titles as they were generally called at the time) "often were graphic elements themselves, featuring illustrations or abstract decorations that commented on the action". Showings of silent films almost always featured live music starting with the first public projection of movies by
1160-559: A long-lasting precedence of focusing exclusively on religious themes — Gajendra Moksham , Nandanar , and Matsyavataram —three of their most noted productions, centred on religious figures, parables, and morals. The first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada , was directed by H. M. Reddy . Bhakta Prahlada was shot over 18 or 20 days at Imperial Studios, Bombay and was produced by Ardeshir Irani who also produced Alam Ara , India's first sound film . The film had an all-Telugu starcast featuring Sindhoori Krishna Rao as
1305-465: A low budget salute to sentimental silent comedies, particularly Charlie Chaplin 's The Kid . The German film Tuvalu (1999) is mostly silent; the small amount of dialog is an odd mix of European languages, increasing the film's universality. Guy Maddin won awards for his homage to Soviet-era silent films with his short The Heart of the World after which he made a feature-length silent, Brand Upon
1450-485: A modern-day setting as opposed to mythological and folklore films. Later, more 'social films' i.e. films based on contemporary life and social issues, were made by filmmakers. Notable among them was Vandemataram (1939), touching on societal problems like the practice of dowry . Telugu films began to focus more on contemporary life, with 29 of the 96 films released between 1937 and 1947 featuring social themes. In 1938, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam has co-produced and directed
1595-645: A much longer time for color to be adopted by the industry and an effective process to be developed. Blue represented night scenes, yellow or amber meant day. Red represented fire and green represented a mysterious atmosphere. Similarly, toning of film (such as the common silent film generalization of sepia -toning) with special solutions replaced the silver particles in the film stock with salts or dyes of various colors. A combination of tinting and toning could be used as an effect that could be striking. Some films were hand-tinted, such as Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1894), from Edison Studios . In it, Annabelle Whitford ,
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#17329087507671740-405: A new era of comedy in Telugu cinema, where his movies captivated audiences with their blend of humour and social commentary . "Before his movies, comedy was a small part of movies and comedians were sidekicks to the hero or villain. Jandhyala proved that comedy can itself be a full-length subject and achieved a great success in this endeavor." His films are well known as clean entertainers affable to
1885-498: A race to design, implement, and market several rival sound-on-disc and sound-on-film sound formats, such as Photokinema (1921), Phonofilm (1923), Vitaphone (1926), Fox Movietone (1927) and RCA Photophone (1928). Warner Bros. was the first studio to accept sound as an element in film production and utilize the Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc technology, to do so. The studio then released The Jazz Singer in 1927, which marked
2030-492: A special effect in many of his films. His 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation used a number of colors, including amber, blue, lavender, and a striking red tint for scenes such as the "burning of Atlanta" and the ride of the Ku Klux Klan at the climax of the picture. Griffith later invented a color system in which colored lights flashed on areas of the screen to achieve a color. With the development of sound-on-film technology and
2175-406: A vital role during this era, with the double act of Relangi and Ramana Reddy becoming immensely popular. Their performances provided comic relief in several films. This era, marked by groundbreaking films, innovative storytelling, and international recognition, remains a golden chapter in the history of Telugu cinema. The Telugu film industry, commonly known as Tollywood, traces its origins to
2320-494: A young dancer from Broadway, is dressed in white veils that appear to change colors as she dances. This technique was designed to capture the effect of the live performances of Loie Fuller , beginning in 1891, in which stage lights with colored gels turned her white flowing dresses and sleeves into artistic movement. Hand coloring was often used in the early "trick" and fantasy films of Europe, especially those by Georges Méliès . Méliès began hand-tinting his work as early as 1897 and
2465-418: Is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue ). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when necessary, be conveyed by the use of inter- title cards . The term "silent film" is something of a misnomer, as these films were almost always accompanied by live sounds. During
2610-437: Is a retronym —a term created to retroactively distinguish something from later developments. Early sound films, starting with The Jazz Singer in 1927, were variously referred to as the "talkies", "sound films", or "talking pictures" . The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is older than film (it was suggested almost immediately after Edison introduced the phonograph in 1877), and some early experiments had
2755-462: Is particularly revered for its innovative use of special effects , such as the first illusion of moonlight, showcasing the technical brilliance of the era. Mayabazar remains a classic, inspiring generations of filmmakers and continuing to captivate new audiences. In 2013, CNN-IBN included Mayabazar in its list of "100 greatest Indian films of all time," with the public voting it as the "greatest Indian film of all time." This period also continued
2900-448: Is silent during its middle third, complete with intertitles; Stanley Tucci 's The Impostors has an opening silent sequence in the style of early silent comedies. Brazilian filmmaker Renato Falcão's Margarette's Feast (2003) is silent. Writer/director Michael Pleckaitis puts his own twist on the genre with Silent (2007). While not silent, the Mr. Bean television series and movies have used
3045-457: Is the first Indian film depicting the Indian movie world. The film was directed by Y. V. Rao and scripted by Balijepalli Lakshmikantha Kavi , starring V. Nagayya . Rao subsequently made the sequel films Savithri and Sathyabhama (1941–42) casting thespian Sthanam Narasimha Rao . The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent resource scarcity caused the British Raj to impose a limit on
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#17329087507673190-535: The benshi , a live narrator who provided commentary and character voices. The benshi became a central element in Japanese film, as well as providing translation for foreign (mostly American) movies. The popularity of the benshi was one reason why silent films persisted well into the 1930s in Japan. Conversely, as benshi -narrated films often lacked intertitles, modern-day audiences may sometimes find it difficult to follow
3335-515: The 25th IFFI in the mainstream section. Raghavendra Rao was born on 23 May 1942 to veteran director K. S. Prakash Rao and Koteswaramma. He is also the father of actor turned filmmaker Prakash Kovelamudi . Raghavendra Rao was an executive member in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board from 2015 to 2019. Telugu cinema Telugu cinema , also known as Tollywood , is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to
3480-668: The Erasing Borders Festival of Classical Dance, Indo-American Arts Council , New York, 2013. Experimental film Parampara has garnered the Platinum Award for Best Feature at the International Indonesian Movie Awards. 2018 biographical film Mahanati based on the life of veteran actress Savitri has garnered the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne . During
3625-546: The Raja of Challapalli , who produced Rojulu Marayi, acquired land in Hyderabad in March 1956 to set up a studio. In 1959, Maa Inti Mahalakshmi , the first Telugu film entirely filmed in Hyderabad, was released. Akkineni Nageswara Rao was one of the first prominent figures to move his film business entirely to Hyderabad, encouraging others to do the same and playing a crucial role in
3770-551: The United States . Speaking about the centenary of Indian cinema at the CII Media and Entertainment Summit 2012, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said regional cinema is surpassing Hindi cinema in content and story, and cited Eega (2012) as an example. Kapur said he was impressed with its story and use of technology, and called it, "no less than a Hollywood superhero film". Shah Rukh Khan called Eega an "awesomely original" film and
3915-421: The audience could better understand what an actor was feeling and portraying on screen. Much silent film acting is apt to strike modern-day audiences as simplistic or campy . The melodramatic acting style was in some cases a habit actors transferred from their former stage experience. Vaudeville was an especially popular origin for many American silent film actors. The pervading presence of stage actors in film
4060-618: The comedy thriller , Chantabbai , the vigilante thriller , Kondaveeti Donga the first Telugu film to be released on a 70 mm 6-Track Stereophonic sound , the western thriller Kodama Simham , and the action thriller , Gang Leader , popularised genre films with the highest estimated footfall. He received the Padma Vibhushan , the second-highest civilian award, in 2024. Sekhar Kammula debuted with his National Award -winning film, Dollar Dreams (2000) featuring dialogue in both Telugu and English. Dollar Dreams explored
4205-687: The social problem film , Mala Pilla starring Kanchanamala . The film dealt with the crusade against untouchability, prevailing in pre-independent India. In 1939, he directed Raithu Bidda , starring thespian Bellary Raghava . The film was banned by the British administration in the region, for depicting the uprise of the peasantry among the Zamindar 's during the British raj . The success of these films gave an impetus to Y. V. Rao , B. N. Reddy and others to produce films on social themes. Viswa Mohini (1940)
4350-507: The "first legit Pan-Indian Superstar" in Indian cinema. Actors like Prabhas , Allu Arjun , Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. enjoy a nationwide popularity among the audiences after the release of their respective Pan-Indian films. RRR propelled Telugu cinema into the mainstream outside India, fuelling the growth of Pan-India movies. It received universal critical acclaim for its direction, screenwriting, cast performances, cinematography, soundtrack, action sequences and VFX . The film
4495-522: The 1899 Cendrillion (Cinderella) and 1900 Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) provide early examples of hand-tinted films in which the color was a critical part of the scenography or mise-en-scène ; such precise tinting used the workshop of Elisabeth Thuillier in Paris, with teams of female artists adding layers of color to each frame by hand rather than using a more common (and less expensive) process of stenciling. A newly restored version of Méliès' A Trip to
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4640-542: The 1950s, largely influenced by the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956. Sarathi Studios was established in Hyderabad in 1956, marking the beginning of this transition. It was the first film studio facility in Hyderabad. Before this, Hyderabad was primarily known for Hindi film releases. The success of Rojulu Marayi (1955), which ran for 100 days in Hyderabad, prompted the then Revenue Minister of Andhra Pradesh, K. V. Ranga Reddy to urge Telugu filmmakers to relocate to Hyderabad. In response, Yarlagadda Sivarama Prasad ,
4785-419: The 1988 romantic action Aakhari Poratam , were featured at the 11th and 12th IFFI respectively in the mainstream section. In 1992, he directed the melodrama Gharana Mogudu featured at the 24th IFFI in the mainstream section. It became the first Telugu film to gross over ₹ 10 crore (US$ 1.2 million) at the box office. Next, he directed the instant hit Allari Priyudu (1993), featured at
4930-647: The 1990s, the Rayalaseema dialect was portrayed in films about the factional conflicts in the area, while the Telangana dialect, already having been pegged to villainous and comedic roles, saw an increase in this usage in reaction to the shift of the Telugu film production from Madras to Hyderabad. After the formation of the state of Telangana in 2014, Telangana culture gained more prominence, and more films were produced portraying Telangana culture, and dialect. Screenwriters such as Chandra Sekhar Yeleti experimented with
5075-510: The Brain! (2006), incorporating live Foley artists , narration and orchestra at select showings. Shadow of the Vampire (2000) is a highly fictionalized depiction of the filming of Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau 's classic silent vampire movie Nosferatu (1922). Werner Herzog honored the same film in his own version, Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979). Some films draw a direct contrast between
5220-642: The Devil (1927). Israel has worked mainly in silent comedy, scoring the films of Harold Lloyd , Buster Keaton , Charley Chase , and others. Timothy Brock has restored many of Charlie Chaplin 's scores, in addition to composing new scores. Contemporary music ensembles are helping to introduce classic silent films to a wider audience through a broad range of musical styles and approaches. Some performers create new compositions using traditional musical instruments, while others add electronic sounds, modern harmonies, rhythms, improvisation, and sound design elements to enhance
5365-679: The Lumière brothers on December 28, 1895, in Paris. This was furthered in 1896 by the first motion-picture exhibition in the United States at Koster and Bial's Music Hall in New York City. At this event, Edison set the precedent that all exhibitions should be accompanied by an orchestra. From the beginning, music was recognized as essential, contributing atmosphere, and giving the audience vital emotional cues. Musicians sometimes played on film sets during shooting for similar reasons. However, depending on
5510-536: The Moon , originally released in 1902, shows an exuberant use of color designed to add texture and interest to the image. Comments by an American distributor in a 1908 film-supply catalog further underscore France's continuing dominance in the field of hand-coloring films during the early silent era. The distributor offers for sale at varying prices "High-Class" motion pictures by Pathé , Urban-Eclipse , Gaumont , Kalem , Itala Film , Ambrosio Film , and Selig . Several of
5655-641: The Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival . 2013 Social problem film , Naa Bangaaru Talli won Best Film award at the Detroit Trinity International Film Festival. Minugurulu (2014) about blind children received Best Indian Film at the "9th India International Children's Film Festival Bangalore ". 2013 Cultural film, O Friend, This Waiting! has received special mention at
5800-505: The Sahara desert and a British cricket pitch. War scenes were shot on the plains of Grasmere, Staten Island . The Perils of Pauline and its even more popular sequel The Exploits of Elaine were filmed largely on the island. So was the 1906 blockbuster Life of a Cowboy , by Edwin S. Porter Company , and filming moved to the West Coast around 1912. The following are American films from
5945-468: The Special Jury Award (Feature Film - Director) at the 46th National Film Awards . K. Raghavendra Rao explored devotional themes with Agni Putrudu (1987), Annamayya (1997), Sri Ramadasu (2006), Shirdi Sai (2012) and Om Namo Venkatesaya (2017) receiving various state honours. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao introduced science fiction to the Telugu screen with Aditya 369 (1991),
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6090-475: The Telugu film industry produces over 300 films annually, contributing significantly to the region's economy and maintaining a prominent position in Indian cinema. The Prasads IMAX located in Hyderabad is one of the largest 3D IMAX screens, and the most attended cinema screen in the world. As per the CBFC report of 2014, the industry is placed first in India, in terms of films produced yearly. The industry holds
6235-449: The Telugu film industry to relocate from Madras to the new state capital, Hyderabad . Despite these calls, the industry remained in Madras, where studios were already established and actors and technicians were settled. One early response to the call for relocation was the establishment of Sarathi Studios in Hyderabad in 1956, although it initially struggled to attract filmmakers. Over time,
6380-471: The US have been lost, though these estimates are inaccurate due to a lack of numerical data. Film projection mostly evolved from magic lantern shows, in which images from handpainted glass slides were projected onto a wall or screen. After the advent of photography in the 19th century, still photographs were sometimes used. Narration of the showman was important in spectacular entertainment screenings and vital in
6525-451: The United States. In view of the enormous amount of labor involved which calls for individual hand painting of every one of sixteen pictures to the foot or 16,000 separate pictures for each 1,000 feet of film very few American colorists will undertake the work at any price. As film coloring has progressed much more rapidly in France than in any other country, all of our coloring is done for us by
6670-547: The action—particularly for comedies and action films. Slow projection of a cellulose nitrate base film carried a risk of fire, as each frame was exposed for a longer time to the intense heat of the projection lamp; but there were other reasons to project a film at a greater pace. Often projectionists received general instructions from the distributors on the musical director's cue sheet as to how fast particular reels or scenes should be projected. In rare instances, usually for larger productions, cue sheets produced specifically for
6815-674: The actual song being performed. Films in this category include Griffith's Lady of the Pavements with Lupe Vélez , Edwin Carewe 's Evangeline with Dolores del Río , and Rupert Julian 's The Phantom of the Opera with Mary Philbin and Virginia Pearson . The Silent Film Sound and Music Archive digitizes music and cue sheets written for silent films and makes them available for use by performers, scholars, and enthusiasts. Silent-film actors emphasized body language and facial expression so that
6960-412: The adoption of sound-on-film technology. Traditional film colorization, all of which involved the use of dyes in some form, interfered with the high resolution required for built-in recorded sound, and were therefore abandoned. The innovative three-strip technicolor process introduced in the mid-1930s was costly and fraught with limitations, and color would not have the same prevalence in film as it did in
7105-562: The beginning of film and 1928. The following list includes only films produced in the sound era with the specific artistic intention of being silent. Several filmmakers have paid homage to the comedies of the silent era, including Charlie Chaplin , with Modern Times (1936), Orson Welles with Too Much Johnson (1938), Jacques Tati with Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953), Pierre Etaix with The Suitor (1962), and Mel Brooks with Silent Movie (1976). Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien 's acclaimed drama Three Times (2005)
7250-458: The best coloring establishment in Paris and we have found that we obtain better quality, cheaper prices and quicker deliveries, even in coloring American made films, than if the work were done elsewhere. By the beginning of the 1910s, with the onset of feature-length films, tinting was used as another mood setter, just as commonplace as music. The director D. W. Griffith displayed a constant interest and concern about color, and used tinting as
7395-438: The best off-beat films of the year by various international juries. Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India cited Prashanth Varma 's super-hero film Hanu Man for merging elements of mythology with contemporary action, and offering a unique viewing experience in Indian cinema. Pan-Indian film is a term related to Indian cinema that originated with Telugu cinema as a mainstream commercial cinema appealing to audiences across
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#17329087507677540-472: The biggest-budgeted films to arrive at the exhibiting theater with original, specially composed scores. However, the first designated full-blown scores had in fact been composed in 1908, by Camille Saint-Saëns for The Assassination of the Duke of Guise , and by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov for Stenka Razin . When organists or pianists used sheet music, they still might add improvisational flourishes to heighten
7685-497: The box office. In addition to mythological and social films, the period was marked by an increasing influence of world cinema and Bengali literature on Telugu filmmakers. The International Film Festival of India , initiated in 1952, exposed Indian filmmakers to global cinema, inspiring them to experiment with new storytelling techniques. Devadasu (1953), an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay 's 1917 Bengali novel Devdas , transformed Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) from
7830-461: The case of the 2002 restoration of Metropolis . With the lack of natural color processing available, films of the silent era were frequently dipped in dyestuffs and dyed various shades and hues to signal a mood or represent a time of day. Hand tinting dates back to 1895 in the United States with Edison's release of selected hand-tinted prints of Butterfly Dance . Additionally, experiments in color film started as early as in 1909, although it took
7975-502: The conflict between American dreams and human feelings. The film re-introduced social realism to Telugu screen, and brought back its lost glory which until then was stuck in its run-of-the-mill commercial pot-boilers. Vanaja (2006) won several international awards including the first prize in the live-action feature film category at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival . Dream (2012), has garnered
8120-547: The country with a spread to world markets. S. S. Rajamouli pioneered the pan-Indian films movement with duology of epic action films Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), that changed the face of Indian cinema. "Pan-India film" is both a style of cinema and a distribution strategy, designed to universally appeal to audiences across the country and simultaneously released in multiple languages. Film journalists and analysts, such as Baradwaj Rangan and Vishal Menon, have labelled Prabhas as
8265-498: The crucial differences between stage and screen acting. Directors such as Albert Capellani and Maurice Tourneur began to insist on naturalism in their films. By the mid-1920s many American silent films had adopted a more naturalistic acting style, though not all actors and directors accepted naturalistic, low-key acting straight away; as late as 1927, films featuring expressionistic acting styles, such as Metropolis , were still being released. Greta Garbo , whose first American film
8410-463: The decade include Mayabazar (1957), Panduranga Mahatyam (1957), Suvarna Sundari (1957), Bhookailas (1958), Jayabheri (1959), Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam (1960), and Raja Makutam (1960). Among these, K. V. Reddy's Mayabazar stands as a landmark in Indian cinema, blending myth, fantasy, romance, and humour in a timeless narrative. The film excelled in various departments, including production design, music, and cinematography. It
8555-459: The development of motion picture cameras, projectors and transparent celluloid film. Although Thomas Edison was keen to develop a film system that would be synchronised with his phonograph , he eventually introduced the kinetoscope as a silent motion picture viewer in 1893 and later "kinetophone" versions remained unsuccessful. The art of motion pictures grew into full maturity in the "silent era" ( 1894 in film – 1929 in film ). The height of
8700-401: The drama on screen. Even when special effects were not indicated in the score, if an organist was playing a theater organ capable of an unusual sound effect such as "galloping horses", it would be used during scenes of dramatic horseback chases. At the height of the silent era, movies were the single largest source of employment for instrumental musicians, at least in the United States. However,
8845-574: The early 1990s, Hyderabad had become the central hub for Telugu cinema, further strengthened by the development of large film studios like Ramoji Film City , a 1,600-acre integrated film studio complex, which holds the Guinness World Record as the largest film production facility in the world. In 2006, 245 Telugu films were produced, the highest in India. The influence of Telugu cinema extended beyond regional boundaries, with many successful films being remade in other Indian languages. As of 2022,
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#17329087507678990-778: The early 20th century in Madras (now Chennai), which was the capital of the Madras Presidency , a region that included Andhra. Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu , often regarded as the father of the Telugu film industry, was a pioneering figure who established Star of the East Films and the Glass Studio. The industry initially flourished in Madras, with major studios such as Vauhini Studios , founded by Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy in 1948, and Prasad Studios, established by L. V. Prasad in 1956. The shift from Madras to Hyderabad began in
9135-459: The family audiences without any obscene language or double entendre . Aha Naa Pellanta! is considered one of the best comedy films in Telugu cinema. Ram Gopal Varma 's Siva , which attained cult status in Telugu cinema, is one of the first Telugu films produced after the migration of Telugu film industry from Madras to Hyderabad to feature characters speaking the Telangana dialect. Varma
9280-555: The famous " Mighty Wurlitzer " could simulate some orchestral sounds along with a number of percussion effects such as bass drums and cymbals, and sound effects ranging from "train and boat whistles [to] car horns and bird whistles; ... some could even simulate pistol shots, ringing phones, the sound of surf, horses' hooves, smashing pottery, [and] thunder and rain". Musical scores for early silent films were either improvised or compiled of classical or theatrical repertory music. Once full features became commonplace, however, music
9425-479: The film dealt with exploratory dystopian and apocalyptic themes. The edge of the seat thriller had characters which stayed human, inconsistent and insecure. The film's narrative takes the audience into the post apocalyptic experience through time travel, as well as folklore generation of 1500 CE, which including a romantic backstory, the "Time Machine" made it a brilliant work of fiction. Jandhyala popularly known as "Hasya Brahma" ( Brahma of comedy), ushered
9570-411: The film did not exist, music was seen as an essential part of the viewing experience. "Silent film" is typically used as a historical term to describe an era of cinema prior to the invention of synchronized sound, but it also applies to such sound-era films as City Lights , Modern Times and Silent Movie which are accompanied by a music-only soundtrack in place of dialogue. The term silent film
9715-484: The film song. Playback singers like Ghantasala, Rao Balasaraswathi Devi , P. Leela , Jikki , P. B. Srinivas and P. Suseela emerged as prominent voices, defining the musical landscape of the era. This period also saw the rise of notable dance choreographers like Pasumarthi Krishnamurthy and Vempati Peda Satyam, who enhanced the artistic quality of Telugu cinema. The 1950s also saw the formation of Andhra State in 1953 and Andhra Pradesh in 1956 leading to calls for
9860-721: The film was also showcased in the United States . Nartanasala (1963) won three awards at the third Afro-Asian Film Festival in Jakarta . K. V. Reddy's Donga Ramudu (1955) was archived in the curriculum of the Film and Television Institute of India , and Nammina Bantu (1960) received critical acclaim at the San Sebastián International Film Festival . Films like Ummadi Kutumbam (1967), Sudigundalu (1968), and Bapu 's Sakshi (1967) were showcased at various international film festivals, highlighting
10005-475: The first film serial , The Million Dollar Mystery , released in 1914. The first westerns were filmed at Fred Scott 's Movie Ranch in South Beach, Staten Island. Actors costumed as cowboys and Native Americans galloped across Scott's movie ranch set, which had a frontier main street, a wide selection of stagecoaches and a 56-foot stockade. The island provided a serviceable stand-in for locations as varied as
10150-611: The first Telugu film exhibitor and producer, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'. From 1921 to 1931 about a dozen feature films were made by Telugu people . C. Pullayya made a three- reel short film, Markandeya (1926 or 1931) at his house in Kakinada . In 1921, the first cinema hall in Andhra , Maruthi Cinema was established in Vijayawada by Pothina Srinivasa Rao. Y. V. Rao and R. S. Prakash established
10295-411: The first commercially successful sound film , but silent films were still the majority of features released in both 1927 and 1928, along with so-called goat-glanded films: silents with a subsection of sound film inserted. Thus the modern sound film era may be regarded as coming to dominance beginning in 1929. For a listing of notable silent era films, see List of years in film for the years between
10440-465: The first ever permanent cinema theatre in Madras and all of South India . He later constructed the Crown Theatre and Globe Theatre. In his theatres, he screened American and European films as well as silent films made in various parts of India. In 1919, he started a film production company called 'Star of the East Films' also called 'Glass Studio', the first production company established by
10585-593: The first female producer of Telugu film industry. The first film studio in Andhra , Durga Cinetone, was built in 1936 by Nidamarthi Surayya in Rajahmundry . Sampurna Ramayanam (1936) was the first film produced by the studio relying mostly on local talent. In 1937, another studio called Andhra Cinetone was built in Visakhapatnam . However, both the studios were short-lived. Early Telugu silent films and talkies were deeply influenced by stage performances, continuing
10730-504: The formation of Andhra Pradesh opened new markets for Telugu films in the Telangana region, laying the groundwork for the industry's eventual expansion into Hyderabad. During this golden era, several Telugu films received international recognition. Malliswari (1951), a historical romance film directed by B. N. Reddy , was screened at the 1952 Peking film festival, making it the first Telugu film to be screened in China . A 16 mm print of
10875-622: The formation of the Motion Picture Patents Company in an attempt to control the industry and shut out smaller producers. The "Edison Trust", as it was nicknamed, was made up of Edison , Biograph , Essanay Studios , Kalem Company , George Kleine Productions , Lubin Studios , Georges Méliès , Pathé , Selig Studios , and Vitagraph Studios , and dominated distribution through the General Film Company . This company dominated
11020-456: The global reach of Telugu cinema. Vijaya Productions, led by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani , became the most successful production company of the era. Their collaborative approach brought together some of the best talents in the industry, resulting in a string of hits that defined the golden age of Telugu cinema. Vijaya Productions operated like a Hollywood studio , with staff hired on monthly salaries, and working regular hours. Comedy also played
11165-459: The image to flicker , and images with low rates of flicker are very unpleasant to watch. Early studies by Thomas Edison for his Kinetoscope machine determined that any rate below 46 images per second "will strain the eye". and this holds true for projected images under normal cinema conditions also. The solution adopted for the Kinetoscope was to run the film at over 40 frames/sec, but this
11310-691: The industry as both a vertical and horizontal monopoly and is a contributing factor in studios' migration to the West Coast. The Motion Picture Patents Co. and the General Film Co. were found guilty of antitrust violation in October 1915, and were dissolved. The Thanhouser film studio was founded in New Rochelle, New York , in 1909 by American theatrical impresario Edwin Thanhouser . The company produced and released 1,086 films between 1910 and 1917, including
11455-535: The industry had moved fully into the sound era , in which movies were accompanied by synchronized sound recordings of spoken dialogue, music and sound effects . Most early motion pictures are considered lost owing to their physical decay, as the nitrate filmstock used in that era was extremely unstable and flammable. Additionally, many films were deliberately destroyed, because they had negligible remaining immediate financial value in that era. It has often been claimed that around 75 percent of silent films produced in
11600-828: The industry's acceptance of it, tinting was abandoned altogether, because the dyes used in the tinting process interfered with the soundtracks present on film strips. The early studios were located in the New York City area . Edison Studios were first in West Orange, New Jersey (1892), they were moved to the Bronx, New York (1907). Fox (1909) and Biograph (1906) started in Manhattan , with studios in St George, Staten Island . Other films were shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey . In December 1908, Edison led
11745-597: The industry's relocation. He insisted on working in films produced in Andhra Pradesh, except for those made at Vauhini and Venus Studios in Madras. In 1976, the Andhra Pradesh government allocated 22 acres of land in Banjara Hills , Hyderabad, to Akkineni Nageswara Rao for the establishment of a film studio. This led to the founding of Annapurna Studios in 1976. By the 1970s and 1980s, most production houses had moved to Andhra Pradesh or opened branch offices there. By
11890-532: The introduction of sound with its 24 frame/sec standard speed 2-bladed shutters have become the norm for 35 mm cinema projectors, though three-bladed shutters have remained standard on 16 mm and 8 mm projectors, which are frequently used to project amateur footage shot at 16 or 18 frames/sec. A 35 mm film frame rate of 24 fps translates to a film speed of 456 millimetres (18.0 in) per second. One 1,000-foot (300 m) reel requires 11 minutes and 7 seconds to be projected at 24 fps, while
12035-470: The introduction of talkies, coupled with the roughly simultaneous onset of the Great Depression , was devastating to many musicians. A number of countries devised other ways of bringing sound to silent films. The early cinema of Brazil , for example, featured fitas cantatas (singing films), filmed operettas with singers performing behind the screen. In Japan , films had not only live music but also
12180-456: The largest film schools in India. The Telugu states consist of approximately 2800 theatres, the largest number of cinema halls of any state in India. Being commercially consistent, Telugu cinema had its influence over commercial cinema in India. The 1992 film Gharana Mogudu is the first Telugu film to gross over ₹ 10 crore at the box office. Produced on a shoestring budget of ₹ 1.2 crore, 2000 film Nuvve Kavali became sleeper hit of
12325-569: The late 1940s and 1950s. These studios played a crucial role in the development of Telugu cinema, contributing to the production of over 300 films between 1950 and 1960. Many Telugu-Tamil bilinguals were made during this period. During this era, the Telugu film industry became one of the largest producers of folklore , fantasy , and mythological films. Directors like K. V. Reddy and B. Vittalacharya pioneered these genres, creating films that captivated audiences with their imaginative storytelling. As demand for films grew, filmmakers recognised
12470-859: The late 1940s and early 1950s, many members of the Praja Natya Mandali and Abhyudaya Rachayithala Sangham, both affiliated with the Communist Party, transitioned into the film industry, bringing with them progressive ideas that subtly influenced the industry, though they eventually adapted to the commercial demands of mainstream cinema. During the 1950s and 1960s, Telugu film songs entered a golden era marked by exceptional lyricism, orchestration, and technological advancements. Prominent lyricists like Samudrala Sr. , Pingali Nagendra Rao , Devulapalli Krishna Sastry , and Kosaraju Raghavayya , alongside composers like Saluri Rajeswara Rao , Ghantasala , T. V. Raju , Pendyala , and Master Venu , set new standards for
12615-570: The late 1990s. It was screened for 200 days in 20 screens grossing over ₹ 20 crore . Dasari Narayana Rao directed the most number of films in the Telugu language, exploring themes such as aesthestics in Meghasandesam (1982), Battle of Bobbili in the biographical war film Tandra Paparayudu (1986), alternate history with Sardar Papa Rayudu (1980), and gender discrimination in Kante Koothurne Kanu (1998) for which he received
12760-542: The lead actors, which bought a rather fictional storyline a sense of authenticity at a time when the industry was being filled with unnecessary commercial fillers. It went on to gather a cult following in south India, with a dubbed Hindi version titled Hairaan released to positive reports from Bollywood critics, the Ann Arbor Film Festival , and the Fribourg Festival . Chiranjeevi 's works such as
12905-615: The lecturing circuit. The principle of stroboscopic animation was well-known since the introduction of the phenakistiscope in 1833, a popular optical toy , but the development of cinematography was hampered by long exposure times for photographic emulsions , until Eadweard Muybridge managed to record a chronophotographic sequence in 1878. After others had animated his pictures in zoetropes , Muybridge started lecturing with his own zoopraxiscope animation projector in 1880. The work of other pioneering chronophotographers, including Étienne-Jules Marey and Ottomar Anschütz , furthered
13050-426: The longer, more prestigious films in the catalog are offered in both standard black-and-white "plain stock" as well as in "hand-painted" color. A plain-stock copy, for example, of the 1907 release Ben Hur is offered for $ 120 ($ 4,069 USD today), while a colored version of the same 1000-foot, 15-minute film costs $ 270 ($ 9,156) including the extra $ 150 coloring charge, which amounted to 15 cents more per foot. Although
13195-401: The mid-1910s, as the differences between stage and screen became apparent. Due to the work of directors such as D. W. Griffith , cinematography became less stage-like, and the development of the close up allowed for understated and realistic acting. Lillian Gish has been called film's "first true actress" for her work in the period, as she pioneered new film performing techniques, recognizing
13340-527: The mysterious altercation between PNS Ghazi and INS Karanj during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 . Indo-Asian News Service called new-generation film maker Sandeep Vanga 's Arjun Reddy the "most original, experimental work to come out of Telugu cinema in a long time", and said the protagonist's (played by Vijay Deverakonda ) "rise, fall and rise ... is nothing short of poetic and heart wrenching". Actor-dancer Allu Arjun produced and acted in
13485-564: The mythological Sri Seeta Rama Jananam (1944) under his home production, Prathiba Picture, marking Akkineni Nageswara Rao 's debut in a lead role. The 1950s and 1960s are often regarded as the golden age of Telugu cinema. This era witnessed significant advances in production quality, the establishment of iconic studios, and the rise of influential filmmakers who shaped the industry. Prominent production houses such as Vijaya Productions , Vauhini Studios , Bharani Pictures , Prasad Art Pictures , and Annapurna Pictures were established during
13630-503: The nationwide popularity of Telugu actors. Baahubali 2 (2017) won the Saturn Award for Best International Film , while RRR (2022) became the first Indian feature film to win an Academy Award and received various international accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song " Naatu Naatu " and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film . From its inception, Telugu cinema has been renowned as
13775-520: The new "talkies" around the mid-1930s. The visual quality of silent movies—especially those produced in the 1920s—was often high, but there remains a widely held misconception that these films were primitive, or are barely watchable by modern standards. This misconception comes from the general public's unfamiliarity with the medium, as well as from carelessness on the part of the industry. Most silent films are poorly preserved, leading to their deterioration, and well-preserved films are often played back at
13920-739: The off beat film Aithe (2003) with a caption "all movies are not the same". Aithe was made on a shoestring budget of about 1.5 crores and went on to collect more than 6 crores. After almost two years he delivered another thriller Anukokunda Oka Roju (2005) both films were a refreshing change of pace to the audiences, produced by Gangaraju Gunnam . Aithe was remade in Tamil as Naam (2003) and in Malayalam as Wanted (2004). Mohana Krishna Indraganti explored themes of chastity and adultery in his 2004 literary adaptation Grahanam , based on Dosha Gunam written by social critic G. V. Chalam . The film
14065-450: The plots without specialised subtitling or additional commentary. Few film scores survived intact from the silent period, and musicologists are still confronted by questions when they attempt to precisely reconstruct those that remain. Scores used in current reissues or screenings of silent films may be complete reconstructions of compositions, newly composed for the occasion, assembled from already existing music libraries, or improvised on
14210-519: The potential to remake earlier productions with enhanced cinematic techniques. Many mythological films originally made in the early talkie era, which featured actors from drama troupes and were limited by the technical constraints of the time, were reimagined in this era with improved technologies. Pathala Bhairavi (1951) emerged as the most successful folklore film of the decade and turned its lead actors, N. T. Rama Rao and S. V. Ranga Rao , into stars. Other notable mythological and folklore films from
14355-440: The preeminent centre of Hindu mythological films in India. Today, it is also recognised for its advanced technical crafts, particularly in visual effects and cinematography , making it one of the most sophisticated in Indian cinema. Telugu cinema has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films , including Baahubali 2 (2017), which holds the record as the highest-grossing film of all time in India. Over
14500-464: The producer nor the director of these two films were Telugus. In 1933, Sati Savitri directed by C. Pullayya received an honorary diploma at the 2nd Venice Film Festival . In the same year, Pruthvi Putra , based on the story of Narakasura was released. It starred Kalyanam Raghuramayya and was produced by Pothina Srinivasa Rao, who had previously built the first cinema hall in Andhra in 1921. This
14645-548: The production of motion pictures in the Telugu language , widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . Based in Film Nagar , Hyderabad , Telugu cinema has become the largest film industry in India by box-office revenue as of 2021. Telugu films sold 23.3 crore (233 million) tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India. Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu
14790-498: The projectionist manually adjusting the frame rate to fit the sound, but because of the technical challenges involved, the introduction of synchronized dialogue became practical only in the late 1920s with the perfection of the Audion amplifier tube and the advent of the Vitaphone system. Within a decade, the widespread production of silent films for popular entertainment had ceased, and
14935-438: The projectionist provided a detailed guide to presenting the film. Theaters also—to maximize profit—sometimes varied projection speeds depending on the time of day or popularity of a film, or to fit a film into a prescribed time slot. All motion-picture film projectors require a moving shutter to block the light whilst the film is moving, otherwise the image is smeared in the direction of the movement. However this shutter causes
15080-424: The reasons for the cited extra charge were likely obvious to customers, the distributor explains why his catalog's colored films command such significantly higher prices and require more time for delivery. His explanation also provides insight into the general state of film-coloring services in the United States by 1908: The coloring of moving picture films is a line of work which cannot be satisfactorily performed in
15225-486: The release of D. W. Griffith 's epic The Birth of a Nation (1915). In 1999, the Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki produced Juha in black and white, which captures the style of a silent film, using intertitles in place of spoken dialogue. Special release prints with titles in several different languages were produced for international distribution. In India, the film Pushpak (1988), starring Kamal Haasan ,
15370-449: The rise of star-driven commercial films, technological advancements, and the development of major studios like Ramoji Film City , which holds the Guinness World Record as the largest film studio complex in the world. The 2010s marked a new era for Telugu cinema as a pioneer of the pan-Indian film movement, expanding its reach across India and globally. This established the industry as a major force in Indian and world cinema and boosted
15515-494: The short film, I Am That Change (2014), to spread awareness on individual social responsibility. The movie was directed by Sukumar , which was screened in theatres across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Indian Independence day, 2014. Adivi Sesh scripted the Neo-noir Kshanam (2016), based on a real life incident of a missing three-year-old girl. Sesh followed it up writing R.A.W. thriller Goodachari (2018), and
15660-440: The silent era (from the early 1910s in film to the late 1920s) was a particularly fruitful period, full of artistic innovation. The film movements of Classical Hollywood as well as French Impressionism , German Expressionism , and Soviet Montage began in this period. Silent filmmakers pioneered the art form to the extent that virtually every style and genre of film-making of the 20th and 21st centuries has its artistic roots in
15805-401: The silent era, which existed from the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, a pianist , theater organist —or even, in larger cities, an orchestra —would play music to accompany the films. Pianists and organists would play either from sheet music , or improvisation . Sometimes a person would even narrate the inter-title cards for the audience. Though at the time the technology to synchronize sound with
15950-470: The silent era. The silent era was also a pioneering one from a technical point of view. Three-point lighting, the close-up , long shot , panning , and continuity editing all became prevalent long before silent films were replaced by " talking pictures " or "talkies" in the late 1920s. Some scholars claim that the artistic quality of cinema decreased for several years, during the early 1930s, until film directors , actors, and production staff adapted fully to
16095-515: The silent film era and the era of talkies. Sunset Boulevard shows the disconnect between the two eras in the character of Norma Desmond , played by silent film star Gloria Swanson , and Singin' in the Rain deals with Hollywood artists adjusting to the talkies. Peter Bogdanovich 's 1976 film Nickelodeon deals with the turmoil of silent filmmaking in Hollywood during the early 1910s, leading up to
16240-479: The silent film era that had earned the highest gross income as of 1932. The amounts given are gross rentals (the distributor's share of the box-office) as opposed to exhibition gross. Although attempts to create sync-sound motion pictures go back to the Edison lab in 1896, only from the early 1920s were the basic technologies such as vacuum tube amplifiers and high-quality loudspeakers available. The next few years saw
16385-427: The silents for nearly four decades. As motion pictures gradually increased in running time, a replacement was needed for the in-house interpreter who would explain parts of the film to the audience. Because silent films had no synchronized sound for dialogue, onscreen inter-titles were used to narrate story points, present key dialogue and sometimes even comment on the action for the audience. The title writer became
16530-438: The size of the exhibition site, musical accompaniment could drastically change in scale. Small-town and neighborhood movie theatres usually had a pianist . Beginning in the mid-1910s, large city theaters tended to have organists or ensembles of musicians. Massive theatre organs , which were designed to fill a gap between a simple piano soloist and a larger orchestra, had a wide range of special effects. Theatrical organs such as
16675-438: The spot in the manner of the silent-era theater musician. Interest in the scoring of silent films fell somewhat out of fashion during the 1960s and 1970s. There was a belief in many college film programs and repertory cinemas that audiences should experience silent film as a pure visual medium, undistracted by music. This belief may have been encouraged by the poor quality of the music tracks found on many silent film reprints of
16820-462: The standardization of the projection speed of 24 frames per second (fps) for sound films between 1926 and 1930, silent films were shot at variable speeds (or " frame rates ") anywhere from 12 to 40 fps, depending on the year and studio. "Standard silent film speed" is often said to be 16 fps as a result of the Lumière brothers' Cinématographe , but industry practice varied considerably; there
16965-534: The state Nandi Award for Best Director for his works such as Bobbili Brahmanna (1984), and Pelli Sandadi (1996). He received the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu for the drama film Prema Lekhalu (1977), the fantasy film Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), and the romance film Allari Priyudu (1993). Raghavendra Rao is known for his works in hagiographical films such as Annamayya (1997), which won two National Film Awards , and
17110-484: The time. Since around 1980, there has been a revival of interest in presenting silent films with quality musical scores (either reworkings of period scores or cue sheets, or the composition of appropriate original scores). An early effort of this kind was Kevin Brownlow 's 1980 restoration of Abel Gance 's Napoléon (1927), featuring a score by Carl Davis . A slightly re-edited and sped-up version of Brownlow's restoration
17255-547: The title character's non-talkative nature to create a similar style of humor. A lesser-known example is Jérôme Savary 's La fille du garde-barrière (1975), an homage to silent-era films that uses intertitles and blends comedy, drama, and explicit sex scenes (which led to it being refused a cinema certificate by the British Board of Film Classification ). In 1990, Charles Lane directed and starred in Sidewalk Stories ,
17400-469: The titular Prahlada , Munipalle Subbayya as Hiranyakasyapa , and Surabhi Kamalabai as Leelavathy. Bhakta Prahlada was completed on 15 September 1931, which henceforth became known as "Telugu Film Day" to commemorate its completion. Popularly known as talkies , films with sound quickly grew in number and popularity. In 1932, Sagar Movietone produced Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam and Sakunthala , both directed by Sarvottam Badami . Neither
17545-629: The traditional approach include organists such as Dennis James and pianists such as Neil Brand , Günter Buchwald, Philip C. Carli, Ben Model , and William P. Perry . Other contemporary pianists, such as Stephen Horne and Gabriel Thibaudeau, have often taken a more modern approach to scoring. Orchestral conductors such as Carl Davis and Robert Israel have written and compiled scores for numerous silent films; many of these have been featured in showings on Turner Classic Movies or have been released on DVD. Davis has composed new scores for classic silent dramas such as The Big Parade (1925) and Flesh and
17690-423: The traditions of theatre onto the screen. These films often retained the same scripts, dialogues, and background settings as their stage counterparts. By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes. That year, under the direction of Kruthiventi Nageswara Rao, Prema Vijayam , a film with a contemporary setting, was released. It was the first Telugu film with
17835-442: The trend of social films, which began in the late 1930s, focusing on contemporary issues and everyday life rather than mythology and fantasy. Notable social films from the decade included Pelli Chesi Choodu (1952), Puttillu (1953), Devadasu (1953), Pedda Manushulu (1954), Missamma (1955), Ardhangi (1955), Rojulu Marayi (1955), Donga Ramudu (1955), and Thodi Kodallu (1957), many of which performed well at
17980-501: The use of filmstrip in 1943 to 11,000 feet, a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that had been common till then. As a result, the number of films produced during the war was substantially lower than in previous years. Nonetheless, before the ban, an important shift occurred in the industry: Independent studios formed, actors and actresses were signed to contracts limiting whom they could work for, and films moved from social themes to folklore legends. Ghantasala Balaramayya , has directed
18125-468: The viewing experience. Among the contemporary ensembles in this category are Un Drame Musical Instantané , Alloy Orchestra , Club Foot Orchestra , Silent Orchestra , Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Minima and the Caspervek Trio, RPM Orchestra . Donald Sosin and his wife Joanna Seaton specialize in adding vocals to silent films, particularly where there is onscreen singing that benefits from hearing
18270-488: The war docudrama Major (2022). Cinema Bandi (2022) scripted and directed by Praveen Kandregula, and produced by film making duo Raj and D. K. ; explored the theme of how a lost camera fuels dreams in a Telugu hamlet, winning the Jury Special Mention at the 53rd IFFI . Venu Yeldandi explored slice of life story from rural Telangana with Balagam (2023) hitting the right chords to be considered one of
18415-409: The wrong speed or suffer from censorship cuts and missing frames and scenes, giving the appearance of poor editing. Many silent films exist only in second- or third-generation copies, often made from already damaged and neglected film stock. Many early screening were plagued by flicker on the screen, when the stroboscopic interruptions between frames lay below the critical flicker frequency . This
18560-497: The years, Telugu filmmakers have also ventured into parallel and arthouse cinema. Films like Daasi (1988), Thilaadanam (2000), and Vanaja (2006), among others, received acclaim at major international film festivals such as Venice , Berlin , Karlovy Vary , Moscow , and Busan . Additionally, ten Telugu films have been featured in CNN-IBN 's list of the "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time." Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu
18705-597: Was a photographer and photographic studio owner in Madras who was drawn into filmmaking . Since 1909, he was involved in producing short films . He shot 12 three-minute-long short films and exhibited them in Victoria Public Hall , Madras . He also travelled to Bangalore , Vijayawada , Sri Lanka , Rangoon and Pegu to exhibit his films. In c. 1909-10 , he established a tent house called Esplanade in Madras to exhibit his films. In c. 1912-14 , he established Gaiety Theatre on Mount Road ,
18850-680: Was a black comedy entirely devoid of dialog. The Australian film Doctor Plonk (2007), was a silent comedy directed by Rolf de Heer . Stage plays have drawn upon silent film styles and sources. Actor/writers Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore staged their Off-Broadway slapstick comedy Silent Laughter as a live action tribute to the silent screen era. Geoff Sobelle and Trey Lyford created and starred in All Wear Bowlers (2004), which started as an homage to Laurel and Hardy then evolved to incorporate life-sized silent film sequences of Sobelle and Lyford who jump back and forth between live action and
18995-415: Was compiled from photoplay music by the pianist, organist, orchestra conductor or the movie studio itself, which included a cue sheet with the film. These sheets were often lengthy, with detailed notes about effects and moods to watch for. Starting with the mostly original score composed by Joseph Carl Breil for D. W. Griffith 's epic The Birth of a Nation (1915), it became relatively common for
19140-611: Was considered one of the ten best films of the year by the National Board of Review , making it only the seventh non-English language film ever to make it to the list. The song " Naatu Naatu " won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards , making it the first song from an Indian film, as well as the first from an Asian film, to win in this category. This made the film the first Indian film by an Indian production to win an Academy Award. Silent film A silent film
19285-478: Was controversial, the door had been opened for a new approach to the presentation of classic silent films. Today, a large number of soloists, music ensembles, and orchestras perform traditional and contemporary scores for silent films internationally. The legendary theater organist Gaylord Carter continued to perform and record his original silent film scores until shortly before his death in 2000; some of those scores are available on DVD reissues. Other purveyors of
19430-520: Was credited with the introduction of steadicams and new sound recording techniques in Telugu films. Within a year of the film's release, more than ten steadicams were imported into India. Siva attracted the young audience during its theatrical run, and its success encouraged filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental Telugu films. Subsequently, Varma introduced road movie and film-noir to Indian screen with Kshana Kshanam . Varma experimented with close-to-life performances by
19575-412: Was directed by H. M. Reddy . The 1950s and 1960s are considered the golden age of Telugu cinema, featuring enhanced production quality, influential filmmakers, and notable studios, resulting in a variety of films that were both popular and critically acclaimed. The industry, initially based in Madras , began shifting to Hyderabad in the 1970s, completing the transition by the 1990s. This period also saw
19720-451: Was expensive for film. However, by using projectors with dual- and triple-blade shutters the flicker rate is multiplied two or three times higher than the number of film frames — each frame being flashed two or three times on screen. A three-blade shutter projecting a 16 fps film will slightly surpass Edison's figure, giving the audience 48 images per second. During the silent era projectors were commonly fitted with 3-bladed shutters. Since
19865-562: Was featured at the 29th IFFI in the mainstream section. Raghavendra Rao also received the Nandi Award for Best Direction, the Filmfare Award for Best Direction for his work in the film. His other hagiographic works such as Sri Manjunatha (2001), Sri Ramadasu (2006), Shirdi Sai (2012) and Om Namo Venkatesaya (2017), received several state honours. His mainstream works such as the 1987 social problem film Agni Putrudu , and
20010-501: Was involved in producing short films and exhibiting them in different regions of South Asia. He established the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India . In 1921, he produced the silent film , Bhishma Pratigna , generally considered to be the first Telugu feature film . As the first Telugu film producer and exhibitor, Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'. The first Telugu talkie film , Bhakta Prahlada (1932)
20155-403: Was later distributed in the United States by Francis Ford Coppola , with a live orchestral score composed by his father Carmine Coppola . In 1984, an edited restoration of Metropolis (1927) was released with a new rock music score by producer-composer Giorgio Moroder . Although the contemporary score, which included pop songs by Freddie Mercury , Pat Benatar , and Jon Anderson of Yes ,
20300-514: Was no actual standard. William Kennedy Laury Dickson , an Edison employee, settled on the astonishingly fast 40 frames per second. Additionally, cameramen of the era insisted that their cranking technique was exactly 16 fps, but modern examination of the films shows this to be in error, and that they often cranked faster. Unless carefully shown at their intended speeds silent films can appear unnaturally fast or slow. However, some scenes were intentionally undercranked during shooting to accelerate
20445-669: Was released in 1926, would become known for her naturalistic acting. According to Anton Kaes, a silent film scholar from the University of California, Berkeley, American silent cinema began to see a shift in acting techniques between 1913 and 1921, influenced by techniques found in German silent film. This is mainly attributed to the influx of emigrants from the Weimar Republic , "including film directors, producers, cameramen, lighting and stage technicians, as well as actors and actresses". Until
20590-487: Was shot with a digital camera on a modest budget of approximately ₹ 8 lakh, with artists and technicians reportedly working without any remuneration. B. Anuradha of Rediff.com noted, "In this offbeat film, Indraganti upholds the tirade against chauvinists who accuse a noble lady of infidelity, ignoring her denials with contempt". The film was featured at the Independent South Asian Film Festival in
20735-575: Was solved with the introduction of a three-bladed shutter (since 1902), causing two more interruptions per frame. Another widely held misconception is that silent films lacked color. In fact, color was far more prevalent in silent films than in the first few decades of sound films. By the early 1920s, 80 percent of movies could be seen in some sort of color, usually in the form of film tinting or toning or even hand coloring, but also with fairly natural two-color processes such as Kinemacolor and Technicolor . Traditional colorization processes ceased with
20880-454: Was the cause of this outburst from director Marshall Neilan in 1917: "The sooner the stage people who have come into pictures get out, the better for the pictures." In other cases, directors such as John Griffith Wray required their actors to deliver larger-than-life expressions for emphasis. As early as 1914, American viewers had begun to make known their preference for greater naturalness on screen. Silent films became less vaudevillian in
21025-409: Was the first Telugu talkie entirely financed by Telugu people. In 1934, the industry saw its first major commercial success with Lava Kusa . Directed by C. Pullayya and starring Parupalli Subbarao and Sriranjani , the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theatres and thrust the young industry into mainstream culture. Dasari Kotiratnam produced Sati Anasuya in 1935 and became
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