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The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies Audiobook
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A page-turning history about the invention of the motion picture and the mysterious man behind it—detailing his life, work, disappearance, and legacy.
The year is 1888 and Louis Le Prince is finally testing his “taker” or “receiver” device for his family on their front lawn. The device is meant to capture ten to twelve images per second on film, creating a reproduction of reality that can be replayed as many times as desired. In an otherwise separate and detached world, occurrences from one end of the globe could now be viewable with only a few days delay on the other side of the world. No human experience—from the most mundane to the most momentous—would need to be lost to history.
In 1890, Le Prince was granted patents in four countries ahead of other inventors who were rushing to accomplish the same task. But just weeks before unveiling his invention to the world, he mysteriously disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. Three and a half years later, Thomas Edison, Le Prince’s rival, made the device public, claiming to have invented it himself. And the man who had dedicated his life to preserving memories was himself lost to history—until now.
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures pulls back the curtain and reveals the riveting story of both Louis Le Prince’s life and work, dispelling the secrets that shroud each. This captivating, impeccably researched work presents the never before told history of the motion picture and sheds light on the unsolved mystery of Le Prince’s disappearance.
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“Fischer helps us see how revelatory motion pictures were at the time…[a] reminder of how inventiveness can breed fresh hope along with innovation.”
— Washington Post
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“A passionate, detailed defense of Louis Le Prince…unfurled with all the cliffhangers and red herrings of a scripted melodrama.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Fischer brings sharp forensic skills and a cool head to a narrative that has become hijacked by wild conspiracy theories.”
— Sunday Times (London) -
“An absorbing tale, elegantly written and brilliantly told, with the plot twists and surprise ending worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.”
— Irish Times (Dublin) -
“Fischer documents with the rigor of a historian and the flair of a true-crime writer.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Absorbing, forensic, and jaw-dropping."
— Total Film -
“A fascinating, informative, skillfully articulated narrative of one of the forgotten figures in cinematic history."
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Fischer combines firsthand accounts with dynamic writing to bring the Victorian era to life.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A New York Times Book Review pick of Best True-Crime Books of 2022
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About Paul Fischer
Paul Fischer is an author and film producer based in the United Kingdom. His first book, A Kim Jong-Il Production, was nominated for the Crime Writers’ Association’s Nonfiction Book Award. It was chosen as an Amazon Best of the Year Nonfiction Selection, one of Library Journal’s Top Ten Books of the Year, and one of NPR’s Best Books of The Year. He has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Independent, amongst others. In addition to writing, he works as a film producer and is an alumni of the Guiding Lights mentorship program. His first feature screenplay, The Body, based on a short film of his conception, was produced by Blumhouse and Hulu in 2018, starring Tom Bateman, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Aurora Perrineau, David Hull, and Ray Santiago.