Antti Alanen: Film Diary: Joly-Normandin (1896-1897), (2013 Pordenone programme curated by Camille Blot-Wellens)

[LE COCHER ET LE MAUVAIS PAYEUR] Photothèque Cinémathèque Suisse

Teatro Verdi (Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone), with e-titles in English and Italian, grand piano: Antonio Coppola, 11 Oct 2013

“Cinématographe perfectionné...” The Joly-Normandin System
“The authentic Cinématographe perfectionné. System Joly patented S.G.D.G. Be suspicious of worthless imitations, because the good price is just an illusion. One can get rich with a good apparatus. One can be ruined with a bad one. The CINEMATOGRAPHE System Joly, is the only one with a warranty, and which doesn’t damage the films. Its functioning is irreproachable, without any vibration or flickering. Ready for immediate delivery. Certified by customers. Original views. The apparatus allows shooting films. We are at customers’ disposal to develop the films for them. Contact M. Normandin, engineer- manufacturer-electrician. 9 rue Soufflot Paris. Special fares for stallholders.” (L’Industriel forain, no. 372, 20-26 September 1896)

Camille Blot-Wellens: "The “Cinématographe Joly-Normandin” (patented in March 1896 by Henri Joly, and marketed by Ernest Normandin) offered some special characteristics, which were also commented upon in contemporary publications, like a better quality of projection thanks to a bigger image (5 perforations per image), thus being recommended for projections in big theatres."

"These characteristics seem to have convinced a number of exhibitors in France, as well as abroad. In Paris, the photographer Eugène Pirou acquired a cinematograph which he would then present as the “Cinématographe E. Pirou” or “Cinématographe Pirou-Normandin”, and already from October 1896 he started screening films at the Café de la Paix and then at the Maison Doisteau in Paris. The “Cinématographe Pirou” would also be presented in Ghent, Belgium, in November 1896, and at the Casino in Nice (from late December 1896 until April 1897)."

"The Cinématographe Joly-Normandin was used inside and outside Europe in 1896 and 1897: in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, in New York at the Eden Musée, and in New Caledonia and Australia. Presented as the “Animatographo” by João Anacleto Rodrigues in Madeira and the Azores, or as “Prof. Jolly’s Cinematographe” at the Star Theatre of Varieties in Dublin and the Empire Theatre in London. On 23 November 1897 there was a special screening at Windsor Castle, to celebrate Prince Henry of Battenberg’s birthday. In South Africa, the circus owner Frank Fillis organized screenings in Cape Town (early 1898). In Spain the collector Antonino Sagarmínaga hosted private screenings from October 1897."

"Unfortunately for Henri Joly and Ernest Normandin, their cinematograph was the one used the day when the terrible fire at the Bazar de la Charité occurred in Paris, on 4 May 1897 (when more than 100 people, mostly of the French nobility, died), the operator having improperly manipulated the oxygen-ether lighting system. Even if it was acknowledged that the cinematograph was not at the origin of the fire, it seems nevertheless to have made life difficult for their apparatus (its name was even changed)."

"The scarcity of the catalogue was something that was also commented upon by users. The special characteristics of the Joly-Normandin cinematograph – the 5 perforations per frame – meant that exhibitors using their apparatus needed to buy new films exclusively from the firm, and not from other producers. No catalogue of films made with the Joly-Normandin system seems to have survived, but we can with some certainty state that (at least) a hundred films were made with this system (an important part of them being produced by Pirou), and it seems that most of these were indeed shot before the Bazar de la Charité disaster. An ad published by Normandin offers lab services for its users, and it seems that the collections discovered in Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland include films which were shot by the local exhibitors in the respective country, which could have been sent to Paris." – Camille Blot-Wellens

Acknowledgements: Chema Prado, Catherine Gautier, Alfonso del Amo, Encarni Rus (Filmoteca Española, Madrid); Rui Machado, Tiago Baptista (Cinemateca Portuguesa, Lisboa); Roland Cosandey (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne); Caroline Fournier (Cinémathèque suisse, Lausanne); Bryony Dixon (BFI National Archive, London); Jean-Baptiste Garnero, Éric Le Roy, Fereidoun Mahboudi (Archives françaises du film du CNC, Bois d’Arcy); Emilie Cauquy, Céline Ruivo (Cinémathèque française, Paris); Jon Wengström (Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm); Eric Lange, Serge Bromberg (Lobster Films, Paris).

The Programme
Camille Blot-Wellens, Tiago Baptista: "The collection housed at the Cinemateca Portuguesa was deposited there in 2005 by the Photographia Museu “Vincentes” (Funchal), whose director, Helena Araújo, is the great-granddaughter of João Anacleto Rodrigues, a businessman and amateur photographer, who settled in Funchal on Madeira. In March 1897, Rodrigues bought a Joly- Normandin apparatus together with accessories and several films. In May of the same year he began organizing screenings, and would later travel with his equipment throughout the archipelago (including the Azores) until December 1897, when he organized his last screenings. The Rodrigues collection includes 42 films, and a Joly-Normandin cinematograph and its accessories."

"Antonino Sagarmínaga was a Basque industrialist fascinated by optical devices, who bought a magic lantern in 1883 to organize screenings at the cultural society El Sitio in Bilbao. In October 1897 he acquired a Joly-Normandin apparatus and some films. He soon encountered problems in finding new films compatible with the peculiar 5-perforation system, and decided to change to a more universal system. Until 1907, he would acquire more than a hundred films, of which 24 were produced with the Joly cinematograph. In 1996 the Filmoteca Española acquired his collection from the Sagarmínaga family. It included two magic lanterns with more than 400 plates, two 35 mm projectors, accessories, and more than a hundred films."

"In 2005 the Cinemateca Portuguesa approached the Filmoteca Española for the joint study and restoration of both collections. Some films existed in both collections, but altogether there were 53 different titles made with the Joly-Normandin cinematograph, comprising the most significant body of films made with this system that is known to exist."

"When identifying and restoring the films in the Rodrigues and Sagarmínaga collections, the titles given to the films come from the titles and their variations published in contemporary press sources, including those compiled by Jacques and Chantal Rittaud-Hutinet in the Dictionnaire des cinématographes en France (1896-1897) (Paris, 2000). Another important source of information were the paper prints deposited by Eugène Pirou on 11 February 1897 at the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris. The exhibitors Rodrigues and Sagarmínaga had given Portuguese and Spanish titles to the films (Rodrigues even composed his own main titles for his the prints), which facilitated the identification of the surviving films. The physical characteristics of the original nitrate prints, as well as the system used by the exhibitors (under different names), also helped the work of identification."

"For the projection copy that was made after the restoration, the titles chosen were those which first appeared in the press or in their more recurrent formulation (for the Pirou films, we used the titles as they were indicated on the paper prints), but we have also included the titles given by Rodrigues and Sagarmínaga."

"Regarding the restoration, in the case of titles present in both collections, the best material was used. The special characteristics of the films (the 5 perforations), and the poor physical condition of some of them, required a special treatment. The films were digitally restored at the laboratory of the Filmoteca Española and a new duplicate negative was made. The restoration work took more than three years, and was completed in 2010."

"We do know how Rodrigues programmed some of the films, but we don’t know if Sagarmínaga also compiled special screening programmes (as he did with the Edison-format films in his collection). For this reason, we have decided to present the films in chronological order following their possible date of production, which seemed the most neutral method." – Camille Blot-Wellens, Tiago Baptista

Prog.: 56' (16 fps)

Film titles with uncertain identification are in boldface roman within square brackets. Attributed titles, unidentified or without references from contemporary primary sources, are preceded by an asterisk.

1. JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION (1896), D: Henri Joly?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 19.3 m. (Sagarmínaga: Jardin d’acclimatation / Rodrigues: Caravana do jardim de aclimatação em Paris) - AA: A view from the zoo. A lot of people, several elephants. Soft image.

2. L’ARROSEUR ARROSÉ (1896), D: Henri Joly?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 18.7 m. (Rodrigues: O jardineiro; Sagarmínaga: El jardinero / El regador regado). - AA: Different from the Lumière gag: two grown-up men make pranks to each other. A duped look.

3. SORTIE DE L’ÉGLISE NOTRE-DAME-DES-VICTOIRES (1896), D: Henri Joly?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 18.9 m. (Rodrigues: Sahida da igreja de Notre-Dame des Victoires / Sagarmínaga: Salida de la iglesia). - AA: Gentlefolk emerge from the church. Ok print.

4. LEÇON DE BICYCLETTE (1896), D: Henri Joly?, filmed: summer 1896; 35mm, 16.2 m. (Rodrigues: Primera lição de velocipede). - AA: A man teaches a woman to ride a bicycle. She tumbles down. Flicker.

5. ENFANTS AU BOIS (1896), D: Henri Joly?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 15.4 m. (Rodrigues: Creanças no Bosque de Vincennes; Sagarmínaga: La familia / Los niños). - AA: See image below. A family in the wood. The belle époque atmosphere resembles Lumière's family views.

6. AVENUE DE L’OPÉRA (1896), D: Henri Joly?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 15.3 m. (Sagarmínaga: Avenida de la Ópera). - AA: A street view, city traffic. A fair print.

7. DANSE SERPENTINE (1896), filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 30.8 m, col. (hand-coloured) (Rodrigues: Dança serpentina). - AA: A favourite subject of the earliest cinema, also familiar from Edison, Lumière, etc. This is a good one, and the multiple colours are a delight.

8. *CLOWN (1896?), filmed: summer 1896?; 35 mm, 19.5 m. (Rodrigues: Clown). - AA: A filmed performance of two clowns and an acrobat.

9. [*CLOWN] (1896?), filmed: summer 1896?; 35 mm, 18.6 m. (Rodrigues: O palhaço). - AA: Two clowns with different pranks than in the previous film. Cog marks.

10. LES PLONGEURS SOUDANAIS (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 18.1 m. (Rodrigues: Mergulhadores negros / Sagarmínaga: Soudaneses). - AA: Sudanese divers, many onlookers.

11. DISPUTE DU COCHER ET DE SON CLIENT (1896), P: Ernest Normandin?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 14.5 m. (Rodrigues: Altercação entre o cocheiro e o cliente / Sagarmínaga: El cochero). AA: A client argues with a cabdriver on a square. A fair print.

12. PLACE DE L’OPÉRA (1896), D: Ernest Normandin?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 18.8 m. (Rodrigues: Praça do Theatro da Ópera em Paris). - AA: A lot of people on the square. Fair / signs of damage.

13. LA MER À DIEPPE (1896), D: Ernest Normandin?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 19.9 m. (Rodrigues: O mar em Dieppe). - AA: By the ocean, ten people embark on a boat. High contrast.

14. ASSAUT DE BOXE ENTRE DEUX CHAMPIONS DE JOINVILLE (1896), D: Henri Joly ?; filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 15.3 m. (Rodrigues: Assalto ao boxe). - AA: A boxing scene. Damage marks.

15. DÉFILÉ D’UN RÉGIMENT (MUSIQUE EN TÊTE) (1896), filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 12.2 m. (Sagarmínaga: El Regimiento). - A military parade. Fair.

16. [ARRIVÉE D’UN TRAIN] (1896?), filmed: summer 1896?; 35 mm, 19.2 m. (Sagarmínaga: El tren / Rodrigues: Chegada d’um comboio á gare d’Asnières). - AA: The camera angle and the visual drama are copied from Lumière. Passengers also embark on the train. Passable.

17. PLACE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE (1896), filmed: summer 1896; 35 mm, 19 m. (Sagarmínaga: Plaza de la República). - AA: A long shot of traffic and bustle on the square. There is one cut or a join. Fair.

18. [LE POCHARD ENTÊTÉ] (1896?), filmed: summer 1896?; 35 mm, 19.7 m. (Rodrigues: O bebedo – I). - AA: Fiction. A drunkard gets into a fight in a restaurant. Fair.

19. LE TSAR AU PANTHÉON (1896), filmed: 10.1896; 35 mm, 24.7 m. (Rodrigues: O Tsar e a Tsarina sahindo do Pantheon / Sagarmínaga: El Czar en el Panteón). - AA: Nicholas II of Russia. A long shot with a moment of the official programme. Soft.

20. DÉPART DES SOUVERAINS RUSSES POUR VERSAILLES (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: 10.1896; 35 mm, 11.3 m. (Sagarmínaga: El Czar en la embajada. - AA: Nicholas II of Russia. More about the Czar's official agenda. Damage marks.

21. ARRESTATION D'UN IVROGNE (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer-autumn 1896; 9.5
m. (Rodrigues: O bebedo –II). - AA: Fiction. A drunkard fooling around. Serious damage marks.

22. LE BALLET DES PETITS INCROYABLES (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer/autumn 1896; 35 mm, 19.4 m. (Rodrigues: Quadrilha dos incroyables). - AA: A record of a performance of a ballet of four children. Soft.

23. LES CHARGEURS DE DÉCOMBRES (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer-autumn 1896; 35 mm, 19.4 m. (Rodrigues: Trabalhos d’uma demolição / Sagarmínaga: El carro). - AA: See image below. Hard labour on a street construction site. The workers enjoy a well-deserved drink. Fair.

24. LES FORGERONS (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer-autumn 1896; 35 mm, 17.5 m. (Rodrigues: Oficina de ferreiros). - AA: Another favourite topic of early cinema, also popular with Edison and Lumière. Two blacksmiths at work, with a young boy at the bellows. Even here a drink is well earned.

25. AVENUE DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (1896), filmed: summer/autumn 1896; 35 mm, 36.3 m. (Rodrigues: Avenida do Bosque de Bologne e Arco do Triumpho). - AA: The avenue is being doused. Ok.

26. LE CONSOMMATEUR MALADROIT (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: autumn 1896; 35 mm, 15.2 m. (Rodrigues: Desavença n’um restaurante). - AA: Fiction. An accident with the siphon at the restaurant.

27. CHARGE OBLIQUE (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: autumn 1896; 35 mm, 15.9 m. (Rodrigues: Carga de Dragões). - AA: A record of a military drill exercise: a charge of the cavalry. Modest quality of print.

28. [LES TROIS FARCEURS] (1896?), P: Ernest Normandin ?; filmed: autumn 1896?; 35 mm, 12.2 m. (Rodrigues: Partida a um vendedor de castanhas). - AA: Fiction. Pranks of boys at the corner store.

29. [SCÈNE D’IVROGNE] (1896?), filmed: autumn 1896?; 35 mm, 16.3 m. (Rodrigues: A prisão d’um ebrio). - AA: Fiction. Drunken mayhem. A painted backdrop.

30. [SCÈNES DE LA VIE PARISIENNE] (1896?), filmed: autumn/winter 1896?; 35 mm, 19.1 m. (Rodrigues: Bon Marché em Paris). - AA: A view of the Bon Marché store.

31. [*CORRIDA] (1896?), filmed: autumn-winter 1896?; 35 mm, 15.4 m. (Sagarmínaga: Corrida). - AA: A view from a bullring. The image is so damaged that it borders on abstract expressionism.

32. LE PRESTIDIGITATEUR (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: autumn-winter 1896; 35 mm, 12.8 m. (Rodrigues: O prestidigitador). - AA: A filmed record of a conjurer's act with playing cards and with eggs emerging from the mouth.

33. FARCE DE CHAMBRÉE À LA CASERNE (1896), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: c.12.1896; 35 mm, 19.7 m. (Rodrigues: Farça de soldados na caserna). - AA: Fiction, military farce, with three soldiers on their bunks.

34. DANSE ESPAGNOLE (1896/1897), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: winter 1896/1897?; 35 mm, 17.1 m. (Rodrigues: Dança Espanhola). - AA: A filmed record of two women dancing. Soft.

35. LE DÉJEUNER DE PIERROT (1896/1897), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: winter 1896/1897?; 35 mm, 14.5 m. (Sagarmínaga: Pierrot). - AA: A filmed record of a performance with Pierrot and a woman at breakfast. Passable, with damage marks.

36. [ARRIVÉE D’UN TRAIN] (1896/1897), filmed: inverno/ winter 1896/1897; 35 mm, 19.8 m. (Rodrigues: Chegada d’um cómboio á gare de Bel-Air). - AA: Again the Lumière angle and dramaturgy, this time at the station of Bel-Air. Damage marks.

37. PARTIE DE CARTES ENTRE DEUX MOINES (1896/1897), filmed: winter 1896/1897?; 35 mm, 17 m. (Rodrigues: Uma partida d’ecarté). - AA: Another popular Lumière subject, a game of cards, this time between two monks. Fair.

38. AUTOMOBILES ET CYCLES (PORTE MAILLOT) (1896/1897), filmed: winter 1896/1897; 35 mm, 17.5 m. (Rodrigues: Corrida de velocipedes e carros eléctricos no Bosque de Bologne / Sagarmínaga: No title). - AA: See image below. Many kinds of vehicles on the road. Low contrast.

39. THE 13th HUSSARS ON THE MARCH THROUGH DUBLIN STREETS (1897), P: Prof. Joly’s Cinematographe; filmed: c.2.1897; 35 mm, 20.2 m. (Rodrigues: Hussards inglezes, desfilando). - AA: A military parade. Damage marks.

40. PLACE DU GOUVERNEMENT (ALGER) (1897), D: André Milhès ?; filmed: winter-spring 1897; 35 mm, 17.1 m. (Rodrigues: Uma praça em Alger). - AA: A view from a square in Algiers with a lot of people, water hoses, beggards.

41. LA BATAILLE DE FLEURS À NICE (1897), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: 2-3.1897; 35 mm, 16.4 m. (Sagarmínaga: Batalla de flores)

42. UN BAIN SUR LA PLAGE (NICE) (1897), P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: c.3.1897; 35 mm, 18.8 m. (Sagarmínaga: La playa). - AA: Bathing in Nice.

43. LA MI-CARÊME À PARIS (1897), filmed: 3.1897; 35 mm, 20.4 m. (Rodrigues: Cortejo carnavalesco em Paris / Sagarmínaga: Jubileo)

44. DÉBARQUEMENT D’UN BATEAU À VAPEUR (1897), filmed: spring 1897; 35 mm, 17.2 m. (Rodrigues: Descarregamento no Porto do Bordeaux). - AA: A harbour view: the arrival of a steam ship in Bordeaux.

45. [FAMILLE STÉPHANOISE AU BOIS-NOIR] (1897), filmed: spring 1897; 35 mm, 2.8 m. (Senza titolo Rodrigues/No Rodrigues title). - AA: A family outing in the forest.

46. INTÉRIEUR DE FERME DANS LA CHARENTE (1897), D: Ernest Normandin; filmed: spring 1897?; 35 mm, 3 m. (Sagarmínaga: El Corral). - AA: Inside a farm, with animals. The damage marks make it look like abstractr art.

47. SCÈNE DE LA PASSION (1897?), D: Albert Kirchner [Léar]?; filmed: 1897?; 35 mm, 14.3 m. (Sagarmínaga: La Pasión). - AA: A filmed Passion Play. The Christ on the Cross. With painted backdrops.

48. [PAYS ET PAYSE OU LA SURPRISE DU SOLDAT] (1897?), filmed: spring 1897?; 35 mm, 17.3 m. (Rodrigues: Um militar surprehendido (escena comica)). - AA: Fiction, farce, a soldier, a countrywoman, and a child.

49. [*PALL MALL (THE DIAMOND JUBILEE PROCESSION)] (1897), P: British Cinematographe Company, Ltd., filmed: 22.6.1897; 35 mm, 25 m. (Rodrigues: Festejo da Rainha Victoria). - AA: A busy street view during the procession.

50. [*EXPOSIÇÃO DE QUADROS] [Exhibition of Paintings] (1897), 35 mm, 12.9 m. (Rodrigues: Exposiçao de quadros). - AA: Artists present their paintings.

51. [*VIAJEROS] [Travellers] (1896-1899), 35 mm, 15.8 m. (Sagarmínaga: Viajeros). - AA: Bathers arrive at Dieppe on a train. Interesting composition of the image. Passable, with damage marks.

52. [*DESFILE DE CABALLERÍA Y ARTILLERÍA] [Parade of Cavalry and Artillery] (1896-1899), 35 mm, 15.4 m. (Sagarmínaga: Desfile de caballería y artillería). - AA: A military parade, drilling with weapons on a training field.

53. [*DESFILE DE HÚSARES DE CABALLERÍA] [Parade of Cavalry Hussars] (1896-1899), 35 mm, 12.3 m. (Sagarmínaga: Desfile de húsares de caballería). - AA: A cavalry parade in the city. Damage marks resembling abstract expressionism.

II. Fonds Joly-Normandin (Musée suisse de l’appareil photographique, Cinémathèque Suisse)
Roland Cosandey: "The 15 Joly-Normandin films deposited with the Cinémathèque suisse resurfaced in 1994, at the time of an inventory made by the Musée suisse de l’appareil photographique in Vevey. The origins of the deposit are unknown, but without doubt these films were included in one of the first touring screening programmes that took place in French-speaking Switzerland in September and October of 1896. When these films were rediscovered, very few films of this rare 5-sprocket system were known and catalogued in archives; up until then, most of the knowledge about this system was related to the actual apparatus itself, not to the films. An added value for the Swiss heritage was the fact that two of the films were actually shot in Lausanne; together with the Casimir Sivan and Lumière films, they form part of the around 20 films shot in Switzerland in 1896 that are preserved."

"The Swiss Joly-Normandin collection was screened for the first time in 1997, with assigned titles and in three chapters, in a print which must be considered an interpretation. The access to this collection of very rare material was part of a global project formulated at the time of its discovery, which meant that resources were immediately provided to preserve, duplicate, circulate, and study the collection. (See Cinéma 1900. Trente films dans une boîte à chaussures, Lausanne: Payot, 1996.)"

"Since the end of the 1990s, the discovery and study of the Sagarmínaga and Rodrigues collections have significantly modified the Swiss collection’s overview and context. Archivists and scholars now also have new tools at their disposal. These developments, which include Irela Núñez del Pozo’s monograph, Henri-Joseph Joly: quando lo schermo era quadrato. I film a cinque perforazioni della collezione di Antonino Sagarmínaga 1896-1898 (Rome: Associazione Italiana per le Ricerche di Storia del Cinema, 2012, Immagine Numero Speciale 2010), made it necessary to update the 1996 publication on the website of the Cinémathèque suisse (see Cinéma 1900 in “Documents de cinéma”, http://www. cinematheque.ch)."

"The 15 films preserved in Switzerland are now seen as part of a larger body of films, all of which share in common the special characteristic of surviving in prints from collections and countries peripheral to the centre where the majority of the films were produced." – Roland Cosandey

Prog.: 14' (16 fps)

1. [ARRIVÉE D’UN TRAIN EN GARE, PARIS], 35 mm, 16.7 m. - AA: See image below. The Lumière angle.
2. [DÉBARQUEMENT DU MAJOR-DAVEL, OUCHY, LAUSANNE], 35 mm, 15.2 m. - AA: Shot from the ship.
3. [AU JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS I], 35 mm, 8.7 m. - AA: A zoo view, different from the one seen earlier. Elephants prominent.
4. [AU JARDIN D’ACCLIMATATION, PARIS II], 35 mm, 8.5 m. - AA: Yet another different zoo view with elephants.
5. [PRESTIDIGITATION DE SALON], 35 mm, 15.8 m. - AA: See image below. A conjurer's trick with eggs.
6. [BOXE FRANÇAISE], 35 mm, 17.8 m. - AA: See image below. A filmed record of a boxing match.
7. [REPAS À LA CASERNE], 35 mm, 10 m. - AA: See image below. Soldiers having lunch.
8. [REPAS À LA CASERNE], 35 mm, 3.6 m. - AA: More of the same.
9. [LE BATAILLON 8 À LA CASERNE DE LA PONTAISE, LAUSANNE], 35 mm, 18.1 m. - AA: A military marching exercise.
10. [DÉFILÉ MILITAIRE, PARIS (?)], 35 mm, 15.7 m. - AA: A military parade with a band, with cavalry and infantry.
11. [CORTÈGE DU TSAR NICOLAS II À PARIS], 35 mm, 3.2 m. - AA: Nicholas II of Russia.
12. [NICOLAS II ET LA TSARINE QUITTANT LE PANTHÉON], 35 mm, 19.5 m. - AA: See image below. Nicholas II of Russia, shot from behind the cavalry guard.
13. [LE LIVREUR, LE COURSIER ET LE PETIT RAMONEUR], 35 mm, 13.5 m. - AA: See image below. Fiction. A mishap with a little chimney sweep.
14. [LE COCHER ET LE MAUVAIS PAYEUR], 35 mm, 14 m. - AA: Fiction. The coachman in dispute about payment with the customer.
15. [L’HOMME IVRE ET LE BISTROT], 35 mm, 16.2 m. - AA: See image below. Fiction: farce. The drunkard is forbidden entry into the bistro.

III. British Cinématographe Company (BFI National Archive, London)
QUEEN VICTORIA’S DIAMOND JUBILEE (British Cinématographe Company, Ltd., 1897)
Filmed: 22.6.1897; 35 mm, 90 m, 5' (16 fps). - AA: An epic touch in this non-fiction record. The image is badly damaged.

Bryony Dixon: "The Joly-Normandin apparatus was offered for hire in Great Britain by the British Cinematographe Company, which shot five films – Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, The Spithead Review, Hussars Passing Through Dublin, A Scene in Parliament Street, and Scene Taken from a Moving Train Near Clapham Junction."

"The BFI National Archive appears to hold two separate sources (one cropped, one not) for the set of shots, totalling 121 feet, of the Jubilee procession filmed at the corner of Piccadilly and St James’s. Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee procession, on 22 June 1897, was filmed by many companies, but the location is identifiable through the known position of British Cinematographe from press reports and the Corinthian column which stood at the end of St. James’s Street. Passing the camera were Indian cavalry, Horse Guards and other mounted troops, and a gun carriage. Then came several open carriages holding colonial dignitaries, followed by a mounted band, Indian princes on horseback, and, on his own, the Prince of Wales’ ADC, Sir Pertab Singh." – Bryony Dixon

IV. Normandin (Archives françaises du film du CNC)
FILM DE FAMILLE NORMANDIN: À LA BASSE-COUR (1897) D: Ernest Normandin; filmed: 1897; 35 mm, 30 m, 1'40" (16 fps), col. (hand-coloured). Restored by the Archives françaises du film (CNC), Bois d’Arcy, under the auspices of the French Ministry of Culture’s film preservation plan. - AA: A fascinating early example of a hand-coloured film. Life on a farm yard: chicken and pigs are being fed.

"This film, also known as Intérieur de ferme dans la Charente, was shot by Ernest Normandin himself, in the courtyard of his farm in Les Champagnères. His wife and children appear, as well as his mother and servants, all in traditional costume from the Charente (according to Bruno Sépulchre). The print, restored by the Archives françaises du film du CNC, is hand-coloured, and originates from the Normandin family." – Camille Blot-Wellens

V. Lobster Films, Paris
DÉFILÉ DE SAINT-CYRIENS, 35 mm, 18 m, 1' (16 fps). VI. Pirou (Cinémathèque française, Svenska Filminstitutet). - AA: A military parade. High contrast.

QUADRILLE D’AUTREFOIS (1896) P: Eugène Pirou; filmed: summer- autumn 1896; 35 mm, c. 5 m, 18" (16 fps); print source: Cinémathèque française, Paris. - AA: A filmed record of a country dance, filmed against a painted backdrop, a print in colour.

"This film, also known as Menuet Louis XV, was produced by Eugène Pirou during the summer or autumn of 1896. Pirou produced a series of films featuring country dances: Quadrille d’autrefois, Quadrille de l’avenir, Quadrille des Titis, Quadrille des Gommeux, Quadrille des petits Incroyables… " – Camille Blot-Wellens

LE COUCHER DE LA MARIÉE (1896) D: Albert Kirchner [Léar]; P: Eugène Pirou; C: Louise Willy; filmed: 1896.
(1), 35 mm, 42 m, 2'20" (16 fps); print source: La Cinémathèque française, Paris.
(2), 35 mm, 36 m, 2' (16 fps), col. (hand-coloured); print source: Filmarkivet vid Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm.

Camille Blot-Wellens: "Le Coucher de la mariée, produced by Eugène Pirou and made with the collaboration of Albert Kirchner (also known as “Léar”), presents a risqué scene from the famous pantomime written by G. Pollonnais and O. de Lagoanère, which was performed on stage by Louise Willy and Marquetti at the Olympia in Paris."

"Thanks to the paper prints deposited by Pirou at the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, we know that he used to make two versions of some films of his catalogue, one with the Joly-Normandin gauge, and the other in the more widely used Edison format. The Cinémathèque française holds two black-and-white nitrate prints made for the Joly-Normandin apparatus, while the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute have a nitrate hand-coloured print made for the Edison system." – Camille Blot-Wellens

AA on the final films: Two prints of the same film. - "Jolly Normandin", "the first sex film" where nothing is shown but everything is anticipated. - Fiction: wedding night, the husband impatiently waiting for his wife to undress. There are many layers in a belle époque woman's clothing. Funny, with joie de vivre. The hand-coloured print is far, far superior, more delightful, more brilliant.

AA on the total programme: A super collaboration, for a long time in preparation, was the international co-production of restoring Joly-Normandin films from 1896-1897, based on Coleccao Joan Anacleto Rodrigues (Cinemateca Portuguesa), Coleccion Antonino Sagarminaga (Filmoteca Española), Fonds Joly-Normandin (Musée suisse de l'appareil photographique, Cinémathèque Suisse), British Cinématographe Company (BFI National Archive), Normandin (Archives francaises du film du CNC), Lobster Films, Cinémathèque francaise, and Svenska Filminstitutet, all this curated by Camille Blot-Wellens. A remarkable archeological feat in the field of very early cinema.

"Un cadre plus grand en hauteur", an image bigger in frame height: this technical characteristic made Joly-Normandin films especially good, and it has been an obstacle for making these five-sprocket-frame films better known since.

It was interesting to see the familiar early-cinema subjects revisited by Joly-Normandin: the camera angles of trains arriving at stations were copied from Lumière, but the arroseurs arrosérs had a different comedy plot. There were the serpentine dancers, the blacksmiths and the cardplayers, too. The passion for life was similar to the Lumière brothers, and the visual talent was quite remarkable.