Sunday, October 12, 1997

Edison Motion Pictures, 1890 - 1900

/ / US / 1890-1900 / Edison, Thomas A. / non-fiction


PC: The Edison Manufacturing Company. Print source: Library of Congress.

World premiere in Pordenone of restored 35mm film prints copied from 35mm paper prints. Speed varies. The early ones were to be viewed at 20-40 fps. Until 1895 the films were meant for Kinetoscope viewing. Since 1896 they were manufactured to be projected. The duration was typically one minute. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, piano accompaniment, 12-18 October 1997.

The viewing prints based on the paper prints do no do justice to the photographic quality of the originals. Of the 936 films, 539 survive. I saw close to a hundred of them. The films are non-fiction if not otherwise indicated.

Edison was the only motion picture producer in the world before 1895 and the leading American producer and distributor of 35mm films through 1900. He built the world’s first motion picture studio, Black Maria, for his productions.

The Pordenone retrospective was mounted to accompany the publication of Charles Musser’s seminal book - Edison Motion Pictures, 1890-1990. An Annotated Filmography (1997).

Mr. Edison At Work In His Chemical Laboratory (1897) - Edison # 344

Giant Coal Dumper (1897) - Edison # 353

Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago (1897) - Edison # 354

Armour’s Electric Trolley (1897) - Edison # 355

Sheep Run, Chicago Stockyards (1897) - Edison # 356

Cattle Driven To Slaughter (1897) - Edison # 357

Racing At Sheepshead Bay (1897) - Edison # 358

Free-For-All Race At Charter Oak Park (1897) - Edison # 360

Philadelphia Express, Jersey Central Railway (1897) - Edison # 361

Admiral Cigarette (1897) - Edison # 362. Commercial: ”We all smoke”.

Overland Express Arriving At Helena, Montana (1897) - Edison # 363

Coaches Arriving At Mammoth Hot Springs (1897) - Edison # 365

Tourists Going Round Yellowstone Park (1897) - Edison # 366

Lower Falls, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone (1897) - Edison # 371

S.S. Queen Loading (1897) - Edison # 373

Loading Baggage For Klondike, No. 5 (1897) - Edison # 374

S.S. Queen Leaving Dock (1897) - Edison # 375

Horses Loading For Klondike, No. 9 (1897) - Edison # 376

Loading Baggage For Klondike (1897) - Edison # 376.1

S.S. Williamette Leaving For Klondike (1897) - Edison # 377

First Avenue, Seattle, Washington (1897) - Edison # 378

Fast Mail, Norther Pacific Railroad (1897) - Edison # 379

Dancing Darkey Boy (1897) - Edison # 385 - dance

Fisherman’s Luck (1897) - Edison # 386 - comedy

Bowery Waltz (1897) - Edison # 387- dance

Charity Ball (1897) - Edison # 388 - dance

Leander Sisters (1897) - Edison # 390 - dance

Cupid And Psyche (1897) - Edison # 391 - dance

Sutro Baths No. 1 (1897) - Edison # 392

Sutro Baths No. 2 (1897) - Edison # 393

Lurline Baths (1897) - Edison # 394

Fisherman’s Wharf (1897) - Edison # 395

Fishing Smacks (1897) - Edison # 396

Arrest In Chinatown, San Francisco (1897) - Edison # 397

S.S. Coptic At Dock (1897) - Edison # 398

S.S. Coptic Sailing Away (1897) - Edison # 399

S.S. Coptic In The Harbor (1897) - Edison # 400

Stanford University , California (1897) - Edison # 401

Hotel Vendome, San Jose, Cal. (1897) - Edison # 402

Lick Observatory, Mt. Hamilton, Cal. (1897) - Edison # 403

Surf At Monterey (1897) - Edison # 404

Hotel Del Monte (1897) - Edison # 405

Launch Of Life Boat (1897) - Edison # 410

Capsize Of Lifeboat (1897) - Edison # 411

Return Of Lifeboat (1897) - Edison # 414

Chrissie Sheridan (1897) - Edison # 427 - dance

What Demoralized The Barber Shop (1897) - Edison # 443? - comedy: women’s feet

Wash Day In Mexico (1897) - Edison # 450?

South Spring Street, Los Angeles (1898) - Edison # 470

Going Through The Tunnel (1898) - Edison # 477

Sunset Limited, Southern Pacific Railway (1898) - Edison # 478

Freight Train (1898) - Edison # 479

Launch of Japanese Man-Of-War Chitose (1898) - Edison # 480

Launching, No. 2 (1898) - Edison # 481

After Launching (1898) - Edison # 482

Union Iron Works (1898) - Edison # 483

Feeding Sea Gulls (1898) - Edison # 484

Procession Of Floats (1898) - Edison # 485

Native Daughters (1898) - Edison # 486

Parade of Chinese (1898) - Edison # 487

Mount Tamalpais R.R., No. 1 (1898) - Edison # 488

Mount Tamalpais R.R., No. 2 (1898) - Edison # 489

Mount Taw, R.R., No. 3 (1898) - Edison # 490

Hockey Match On Ice (1898) - Edison # 495

Burial Of The ”Maine” Victims (1898) - Edison # 533

N.Y. Journal Despatch Yacht ”Buccaneer” (1898) - Edison # 535

Wreck Of The Battleship ”Maine” (1898) - Edison # 536

U.S. Battleship ”Indiana” (1898) - Edison # 540

Street Arab, A (1898) - Edison # 551 - breakdance

Cuban Refugees Waiting For Rations (1898) - Edison # 563

Troops Embarking At San Francisco (1898) - Edison # 576

Troop Ships For The Philippines (1898) - Edison # 577

Roosevelt’s Rough Riders Embarking For Santiago (1898) - Edison # 590

Cuban Volunteers Embarking (1898) - Edison # 591

U.S. Troop Landing At Daiquiri, Cuba (1898) - Edison # 595

Pack Mules With Ammunition On The Santiago Trail (1898) - Edison # 599

U.S. Cruiser ”Olympia” Leading Naval Parade (1899) - Edison # 735

Admiral Dewey Leading Land Parade, No. 1 (1899) - Edison # 741

Columbia Winning The Cup (1899) - Edison # 761

2nd Special Service Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Parade (1899) - Edison # 763

2nd Special Service Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Embarking For South Africa (1899) - Edison # 764

Automobile Parade (1899) - Edison # 767

Dick Croker Leaving Tammany Hall (1899) - Edison # 769

Why Jones Discharged His Clerks (1899) - Edison # 776 - comedy

Why Mrs. Jones Got A Divorce (1899) - Edison # 777 - comedy

Dull Razor, A (1900) - Edison # 784 - comedy

Animated Luncheon, An (1900) - Edison # 785 - magic

Faust and Marguerite (1900) - Edison # 786 - magic

Magician, The (1900) - Edison # 787 - magic

Ching Ling Foo Outdone (1900) - Edison # 788 - magic

Kiss, The (1900) - Edison # 789 - remake of the May Irwin Kiss

Artist’s Dream, An (1900) - Edison # 795 - magic

Mystic Swing, The (1900) - Edison # 796 - magic

Uncle Josh In A Spooky Hotel (1900) - Edison # 797 - magic

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