The first black and white movie is often considered to be “Roundhay Garden Scene,” a short film directed by Louis Le Prince in 1888. This historic film is just over two seconds long and features a few people walking around in a garden. While it may seem simplistic by today’s standards, it marks a significant milestone in the evolution of cinema.
Another early contender in the realm of feature films is “The Execution of Mary Stuart,” created in 1895 by Thomas Edison. This short movie depicts the fictional beheading of Mary Stuart and runs about 18 seconds long. However, when we talk about full-length films, it’s important to note that many silent films that came later, like the 1927 classic “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang, paved the way for narrative storytelling in cinema while still being in black and white.
Essentially, while “Roundhay Garden Scene” is credited as one of the very first, it’s the development of black and white narrative films in the early 20th century that really established the foundation for modern filmmaking.