The improvements in the technique of taking the pictures and of projecting them on the screen are legion, but the fundamental features have not been changed.
Yes; on the whole the development of the last two decades has been a conservative one.

The fact that every producer tries to distribute his films to every country forces a far-reaching standardization on the entire moving picture world.

The little pictures on the film are still today exactly the same size as those which Edison used for his kinetoscope and the long strips of film are still gauged by four round perforations at the side of each to catch the sprockets which guide the film.
As soon as the moving picture show had become a feature of the vaudeville theater, the longing of the crowd for ever new entertainments and sensations had to be satisfied if the success was to last.

The mere enjoyment of the technical wonder as such necessarily faded away and the interest could be kept up only if the scenes presented on the screen became themselves more and more enthralling.

The trivial acts played in less than a minute without any artistic setting and without any rehearsal or preparation soon became unsatisfactory.