Four 1880s Filmmakers Review

Passage de Venus 2: Electric Boogaloo

In the minds of some, essentially the only filmmaker of the 1880s is Eadweard Muybridge. While that’s not too far from the truth, there were others. This is a look at the people who put life to screen in this early decade of cinema. Insignificant as they may feel due to the 1890s improving on them, these function as novel documents of the past.

The 1882 Transit of Venus (1882) – The Only Film By David Peck Todd

Who knew there was a sequel to the 1874 transit of Venus film? This is reminiscent of a 1970s Sci-Fi flick that has a very sterile and clinical look to the sets. Thus, it has less realism than the previous film, but is no less interesting as a look at what humans found worth recording. At least the print I viewed was slower than the last, which if intended by Todd suggests an attempt to be methodical, like this was worth seeing in more detail.

Louis Le Prince Available Films (1887-1888)

To say the least, Louis Le Prince has an interesting story. Not only is he sometimes called the “Father of Cinematography”, not only does watching his entire surviving works take about ten seconds, but he mysteriously went missing, leading to ample speculation about what happened to him. He is a victim of lost media, with only four of his works being available; Man Walking Around a Corner (1887), Accordion Player, Roundhay Garden Scene, and Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge (all 1888).

There is the sense of progressively learning the craft along the way. Corner is a relatively static shot that isn’t even parallel to the ground. Accordion features perhaps a type of dance, with the subject smiling and seeming to enjoy himself, capturing an emotion, unlike in the first. A set of stairs and an open door give a depth to the scene, like this is a real space. The first film fails to take such an opportunity as we don’t see behind the corner the man walks by. Roundhay is perhaps the most famous film here, considered a classic of the 80’s. It benefits from featuring a wider shot. The further lack of emotional depth doesn’t make it as interesting as the second. The people depicted don’t feel natural, feeling like actors. Overall, it’s pretty dank. Bridge doesn’t even attempt to capture people per say, appearing to be taken from a roof looking down at traffic. The image captured is more dynamic and is relatively striking compared to the other three. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that each of these four films captures a wider and wider space.

It’d be interesting to see what would’ve been next for Le Prince, as he was improving his craft as he went. The frame composition noticeably was improving throughout. They can feel like lesser versions of some 1890s films, Sallie Gardner at a Gallop and Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat as examples, though the former is from the 70’s. A Letterboxd review of Accordion Player is certainly more worthwhile than the film itself, not that the movie should be faulted for lacking a narrative.

Ottomar Anschütz Available Films (1888, possibly before and/or after)

Of the four filmmakers here, this was the one I had the hardest time finding information on. It appears Anschütz may have done an exceptional number of films, though various sites only catalog Horse and Rider Jumping Over an Obstacle. A video on YouTube appears to feature that and a few more of Anschütz’ works. While he’s sometimes attributed with being the first to film images at a decent quality, these films hardly distinguish themselves from Muybridge. While Muybridge seemed to attempt to capture realism, scenes like the horse riding ones feel off. The riders feel like sculptures based on how stiff they are. The white background also makes them look a little surreal. The actions going on aren’t interesting enough to match that and the overall experience can be a little jarring.

William Friese-Greene Available Films (1889-1890)

Friese-Greene’s work sadly hasn’t survived much, either. It seems Leisurely Pedestrians, Open Topped Buses and Hansom Cabs with Trotting Horses (1889) might be the only complete one. The camera is too high up, which makes it look somewhat sloppy, as if it was supposed to be lower down. At least it doesn’t feel stagey, unlike the similar Roundhay. Two excerpts that probably aren’t from the same film are both credited as Hyde Park Corner (1889). One plays like Leisurely, except its subjects are gracefully further from the camera. The other is a nice scene of a policeman with a child, illuminated with good lighting. A frame of it could make a pretty photograph. I’m curious if this is the first depiction of a policeman in film history. Traffic in King’s Road, Chelsea (1890) takes advantage of sharp angles and more realistic filming. Some of the movement is a little punchier, with people moving with more speed, as if depicting people in a hurry. The policeman excerpt and Chelsea both have visuals good enough to justify a viewing.

To learn more about William Friese-Greene, go to: https://friesegreene.com/

Georges Méliès’ The Four Troublesome Heads (1898) Review

Georges Méliès

One of my favorite filmmakers has got to be the epically mustached Georges Méliès. It’s kind of weird to call him a filmmaker, though. He began his career as a stage magician, but decided to jump from stage to screen in the infancy of film as a whole. While his films were initially very straightforward and similar to others; film a crowd of people, film someone doing something mundane, film something a little interesting, he ended up being a pioneer in the medium. He popularized or was the first to use cutting, special effects, storyboards, time-lapses, color, narratives, and more. He’s best known for the 1902 classic, A Trip to the Moon. You’ve probably seen an image of a face for the moon with a rocket in its eye. That’s from that movie. While Trip is certainly influential, it’s not my favorite of Méliès’ films. My favorite is The Four Troublesome Heads. This one minute short has some significance to me as it may have been the first silent film I ever watched. My memory isn’t so clear I can know for sure, but I don’t recall any other silent films crossing my path before this one.

Heads is a very simple film. A man pulls off his head, sets it on a table, walks around without one, then grows another one, pulls it off, repeats, and eventually there’s four. The short works so well as it exudes creativity and character. The man, played by Méliès, is clearly having so much fun. While he is overacting, that just sucks you into the film. His theatricality gets you into what’s going on, makes you more interested. You’re left disappointed and a tad frustrated when it ends. It should just go on forever! Every moment of the film has character. When Méliès tries to prove the head he pulled off isn’t attached to a hidden body, he accidentally bumps into a table, making the trick seem more real as that probably wasn’t planned. The four heads sing together at a point. There’s lots of laughs to be had.

To be critical, with modern technology, such as the ability to watch films in High-Definition, you can see the seams of the production. Méliès is in front of a black background the whole time and when he takes his head off, you can see that the film was altered to have black over the part of his body supposed to be covered. When his heads are on a table, they’re not lined up perfectly with the table, as they were imposed over it.

OVERVIEW

This film doesn’t relish in its mistakes. It doesn’t emphasize them. It emphasizes making you laugh and having a good time. One can get loosened up and comfortable watching some comedy that may seem silly, but is endlessly enjoyable. Méliès is essentially putting on a show. He plays it like he’s doing magic on a stage. You’re the audience and he’s determined to give you your money’s worth and more importantly, your time’s worth. With only one minute of length, how can you go wrong?

A 90’s Classic – The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) Review

An early Lumière advertisement.

I’m a bit eager to discuss one of the many films by the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière. Both are considered the fathers of cinema (A win for Gay parenting). They invented and patented the cinematograph, which is essentially a film camera and projector. It’s often considered an improvement to Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope which only could screen to one viewer at a time. They’re considered by many to be the best filmmakers in this early era where there weren’t any cuts or special effects.

When thinking of a silent, black and white film I could review, I thought I should start from the start. I gravitated towards the Lumière brothers’ best regarded film that I also think is their best, The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat. Anyone who watches it may think, “What’s so special about this fifty-second viewing of nothing? This guy is just biased towards the 1800’s pictures!” Hopefully this review can give some insight on my perspective. I considered reviewing the literal first film to be screened publicly, aka the film that marked the start of cinema, Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, but I don’t like that one very much. It’s not terrible, but this film in at least some regards is a refinement.

Technically this has spoilers. Even though I can describe what’s happening, that’s not what I get from the film. It works based on what you can’t get out of a review, only from watching it. At the start, people are standing around, waiting for the train. We see people who work at the station, as well as future passengers. This is such a good way of painting this world we’re in. We can see what’s happening and when the train comes, it is a very sharp visual answer to what is going on. Even though we can see the train tracks from Frame 1, that’s on the left side of the frame, while the people, who are moving around, are on the right. There’s something more to be gained from a large, visual smack of the Train arriving, than in a film like Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, where the camera is capturing a flat shot, the people in that film walk off to the left, which gives that film a lack of density. In a move which intentionally or not follows filmmaking rules, seeing as we’re focused on the right of the frame, the train also first appears on the right.

A bit of framing that models 3-D movies, the train progressively moves towards the camera (and then beyond it). Perhaps it’s obvious, but this isn’t 3-D, and doesn’t have the unnatural effect that comes from 3-D movies. Those films typically have things jumping at the camera and little novelties which often subtract from the story more than it adds. The Train arriving mirrors the progression of the story. We see more and more look to the train. We see it come to life and play a larger role in the film later on. The best way of tying off what’s been shown is what happens when the train stops. People start moving off and on the train, this is the film’s climax. We see people doing their business. The film shows that it’s a busy area, but everything can be seen clearly. Sadly, we don’t see the train depart, as it would’ve given some finality, but it doesn’t detract too heavily. In a sense, the train is a character, and the character never gets an end.

Films that don’t have stories do suffer a bit. Stories help to emphasize what’s happening and give more weight to it. This film’s lack of depth can give it the feeling that it wasted your time and if one is looking to be thrilled and awed, then this might not satisfy. Even though it’s great to see people’s faces, showing what people are thinking, it should’ve shown more, with more variety in facial expressions. It would also have been nice to see more people who worked at the station, to then again expand on what we’re seeing.

The best films of this time used attractive lighting and cinematography to show this “bite-sized world”. In such a small amount of time, we are told so much about what’s going on. A less skilled director might not show people’s faces or make cuts to things that are irrelevant to the narrative. This film is efficient and classy. Though it might be a little too efficient at points, it is effective regardless. This is perhaps the best picture of this time and genre, where the camera’s turned on and life is seen.