1920s

1925

The French physicist Henri Chrétien invents an anamorphic lens: the Hypergonar lens.

1926

The electric arc with an elliptical mirror begins to be used as a light source for film projectors.

1927

Screening of the first sound film, The Jazz Singer, by Alan Crosland, using the Vitaphone sound process. The end of silent film.

1928

Release of the first feature-length colour film to include a soundtrack, The Viking, by Roy William Neill.

Steamboat Willie, by Walt Disney, the first cartoon to use synchronized sound. The character of Mickey Mouse appears for the first time.

1929

The spread of sound films around the world leads to the dubbing and subtitling of films.