Film Studies Archive
End of The Silent Era
From the British Film Resource archiveThis page is part of the site's original film-studies collection and is preserved as an archive text. Historical references and contemporary observations may reflect the period in which the study was written.
Early British Comedy
End of The Silent Era
In 1900 sound came to the British film. Okay, perhaps not quite as marketable as The Jazz Singer, but synchronised sound none the less. The first system used was Walter Gibbons Phono-Bio-Tableaux, these little sound films were very popular by audiences and performers alike, Vesta Tilley and the immensely popular Mr. Chirgwin were amongst the first to be seen and heard on the screen and in 1905 many artists were using Gaumont's Chronophone to showcase songs.