The French film industry in the late19 century and early 20th century was among the world's most important. Auguste and Louis Lumiere invented the cinematographe and their L'arrivee d'un train en gare de la Ciotatin Paris in 1895 is considered by many historians as the official birth of cinematography. The early days of the industry, from 1896 to 1902, saw the dominance of four firms: Path Freres, the Guamont Film Company, the George Melies company, and the lumieres.
