Pathé or Pathé Frères (French pronunciation: [pate fʁɛʁ], styled
as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses founded and
originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France from 1896. In the
early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment and
production company, as well as a major producer of phonograph
records. In 1908, Pathé had invented the newsreel that was shown
in theaters prior to a feature film. The company was founded as
Société Pathé Frères (Pathé Brothers Company) in Paris, France
on 28 September 1896, by the four brothers Charles, Émile,
Théophile and Jacques Pathé. During the first part of the 20th
century, Pathé became the largest film equipment and production
company in the world, as well as a major producer of phonograph
records. The driving force behind the film operation was Charles
Pathé, who had helped open a gramophone shop in 1894 and then
established a phonograph factory at Chatou on the western
outskirts of Paris. As these became successful, he saw the
opportunities off