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| 24e chasseurs alpins : sauts d’obstacles. Vue N° 172. Les chasseurs alpins sautent les obstacles en prenant soin de décomposer leurs mouvements. Opérateur: inconnu. Date: [février 1897] - [7 mars 1897]. Lieu: France, Villefranche-sur-Mer. Projections: Programmée le 21 mars 1897 à Lyon (France) sous son titre (Lyon républicain, 21 mars 1897). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière - 3 copies Lumière. Pays: France. Ville: Villefranche-sur-Mer. Lieu: caserne. Genre: militaire. Sujet: soldat. Séries: Les 24e et 27e bataillons de chasseurs alpins en garnison, Les chasseurs alpins. Photo and info: Catalogue Lumière. |
All films 35 mm; no intertitles; source: George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY. Total running time: 19′.
Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone: Haghefilm-Selznick School.
Grand piano: José Maria Serralde Ruiz.
Teatro Verdi, no intertitles, 4 Oct 2017.
"The Haghefilm Fellowship was established in 1997 to provide additional professional training to outstanding graduates of The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York. The Fellowship recipient is invited to Amsterdam for one month to work alongside Haghefilm Digitaal lab professionals to preserve short films from the George Eastman Museum collection, completing each stage of the preservation project."
"The recipient of the 2017 Haghefilm Digitaal Fellowship is Samuel B. Lane, from New Mexico. Sam graduated in the certificate program of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation in June 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies from the University of Rochester. Sam has worked as a film projectionist in New Mexico and at the Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY, and he interned at the George Eastman Museum for two years. He is now completing his Master’s Degree at the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation and the University of Rochester, and working at the George Eastman Museum as Film Conservation Specialist."
Cinématographe Lumière, ca. 1896-1903
"A collection of twenty 35 mm rolls of Lumière films dated around 1896-1903 was recently found (in their original containers) and acquired by the George Eastman Museum. A preliminary examination of the materials has revealed that the collection consists of 11 positive and 9 negative rolls, all in almost pristine condition (one roll contains a brief extra segment, listed below as a separate entry). As this catalogue goes to press, identification of the films is under way; the attribution of original titles will be greatly facilitated once the elements have been preserved and ready for projection, which will necessarily happen only a few days before the festival (for this reason, the order in which the films will be screened may be different from the title sequence below). Once identified, the films will be listed with their exact titles in the Giornate Database of all the films screened at the festival from 1982 to the present. The database is accessible for free at http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/ed_precedenti/screenings_db.html."
Our thanks to Clara Auclair for the filmographic research on this important collection.
All film notes by Samuel Lane and Clara Auclair. The texts dealing with identified films have been adapted from descriptions in the Lumière Catalogue.
24e CHASSEURS ALPINS: SAUTS D’OBSTACLES (Sauts d’obstacles – chasseurs alpins) / [24. Alpine Hunters: Show Jumping] (FR 1897) Lumière cat. no. 172. 48 ft / 15 m [771 frames], 48″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
Soldiers of the mountain infantry jump in formation over obstacles, taking care not to break their groupings. Filmed in Villefranche-sur-Mer. The title on the print is handwritten in ink on a single blank frame.
AA: I remember Bertrand Tavernier's remark quoted by Thierry Frémaux in his Lumière film (2017) regarding these French military films: having seen them it is not a surprise that France lost wars. Visual quality ok.
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| Danse au bivouac. Vue N° 266. Des soldats, seuls ou en couple, dansent une jota. Opérateur: Alexandre Promio. Date: [12 juin 1896] - 30 juin 1896. Lieu: Espagne, Madrid, [camp de Vicálvaro]. Projections: Programmée le 30 juin 1896 à Lyon (France) sous le titre Danse d'un bivouac espagnol (Lyon républicain, 30 juin 1896). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière - 2 copies Lumière. Pays: Espagne. Ville: Madrid. Lieu: campagne, champ de manœuvres. Genre: distraction, militaire. Sujet: soldat. Séries: Alexandre Promio à Madrid (1896), Les militaires de Madrid. Photo and data: Catalogue Lumière. |
DANSE AU BIVOUAC / [Camp Dance] (FR 1896), Lumière cat. no. 266. photog: Alexandre Promio. 47 ft /14 m [746 frames], 46″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
Soldiers at a camp in Madrid, Spain, dance a jota, alone and in pairs. Filmed in June 1896.
AA: Everybody is dancing in his way. Visual quality darkish, with a scratch.
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| Fête au village. Vue N° 312. “Ces quatre dernières vues [cf. n° 1368 à 1371] ont été prises à Genève, lors de l’exposition de 1896.”Une ronde d’hommes et de femmes en costume folklorique tourne joyeusement parmi la foule des visiteurs de l’exposition. Opérateur:[Alexandre Promio]. Date: 7 mai 1896 - [12 juin 1896]. Lieu: Suisse, Genève, Exposition nationale, Village suisse. Personnes: François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, en redingote grise et chapeau blanc, participe à l'animation. Projections: Programmée le 29 août 1896 à Lyon (France) sous le titre Fête au village suisse (Lyon républicain, 29 août 1897). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière. Pays: Suisse. Ville: Genève. Personnes identifiées: François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke. Événement: danse, exposition. Genre: distraction. Sujet: animal. Séries: Alexandre Promio à Genève (1896), Le village Suisse de l'Exposition de Genève. Image and data: Catalogue Lumière. |
FÊTE AU VILLAGE (Fête dans un village suisse) / [Village Feast] (FR 1896), Lumière cat. no. 312. photog: [Alexandre Promio], 42 ft / 13 m [669 frames], 41″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
A scene filmed at the Swiss Village, the star attraction at the 1896 National Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland. A group of men and women in traditional costume perform a circle dance among a crowd of visitors to the exhibition. The title on the print is handwritten in ink on a single blank frame.
AA: Lively and wonderful. Visual quality borders on a high contrast.
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| Pompiers : alerte. Vue N° 723. “Les pompes traînées par des chevaux, sortent à toute vitesse du poste de pompiers.” Opérateur: [Alexandre Promio]. Date: [21 juin 1897] - [21 octobre 1897]. Lieu: Irlande (aujourd'hui Irlande du Nord), Belfast. Projections: Projection de l'Alerte de pompiers le 21 octobre 1897 au Gatti's à Londres (Grande-Bretagne) (The Era, 23 octobre 1897).Programmée le 30 janvier 1898 à Lyon (France) sous le titre Irlande : sortie des pompiers de Belfast (Lyon républicain, 30 janvier 1898). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière. Pays: Irlande (du Nord). Ville: Belfast. Lieu: rue, ville. Genre: militaire. Sujet: acrobate et équilibriste, clown. Objet: machine et outil. Séries: Les vues pour le Triograph (1897). Photo and data: Catalogue Lumière. |
POMPIERS: ALERTE / [Firemen: Alarm] (FR 1897), Lumière cat. no. 723. photog: [Alexandre Promio], 50 ft / 15 m [792 frames], 49″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
Steam fire-engines drawn by horses dash at full speed out of a fire station, followed down the street by onlookers. Filmed in Belfast, in northern Ireland.
AA: A dynamic mise-en-scène. Might the speed be on the slow side even at 16 fps.
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| Salut dans les vergues. Vue N° 837. Les matelots grimpent dans la mâture, se décoiffent et saluent. Opérateur: Alexandre Promio. Date: 28 ou 29 avril 1898. Lieu: Autriche-Hongrie (aujourd'hui Croatie), Sibenik, Dalmatie. Projections: Programmée le 3 juillet 1898 à Lyon (France) sous son titre (Lyon républicain, 3 juillet 1898). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière - 1 contretype Lumière - 1 copie Lumière - 2 copies Edison. Pays: Croatie. Ville: Sibenik. Lieu: mer. Genre: militaire. Sujet: marin. Objet: bateau. Séries: Manœuvres de la marine autrichienne. Photo and data: Catalogue Lumière. |
SALUT DANS LES VERGUES / [Salute at the Yards] (FR 1898), Lumière cat. no. 837. photog: Alexandre Promio, 46 ft / 14 m [739 frames], 46″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
Sailors climb aloft, display flags from the rigging, and wave their hats to people on shore. Filmed in the port of Šibenik, Dalmatia, on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, in April 1898. This is a print of second generation in the collection, poorly duplicated from its source. Layers of the various elements can be seen around the edges of the frame and the frames constantly shift around, creating stability problems in the image. The print also has several shifts in exposure.
AA: An exciting subject but the print is on the poor side (duped, soft look).
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| The image is not from the film screened but from a film from the same event. Un tournoi. Vue N° 1012. “Les six vues suivantes [cf. n° 634, 641, 642, 644 à 646] représentent des scènes prises à Paris lors d’une fête des artistes donnée en 1899.Cette vue représente la reconstitution d’un tournoi du Moyen-Âge ; deux chevaliers luttent ensemble.” Erreur du résumé dans le Catalogue des vues pour Cinématographe : la vue n° 642 ne fait pas partie de la fête des Artistes donnée le 12 juin 1899 à Paris. Opérateur: inconnu. Date: 13 juin 1899. Lieu: France, Paris, jardin du Palais-Royal. Personnes: À l'arrière-plan, le restaurant le Grand Véfour. Projections: Programmée le 20 août 1899 à Lyon (France) sous son titre (Le Progrès, 21 août 1899). Eléments filmiques: négatif Lumière. Pays: France. Ville: Paris. Lieu: parc. Événement: affrontement, fête. Sujet: animal. Objet: costumes. Séries: Les fêtes de Paris en 1899. Photo and data: Catalogue Lumière. |
[FÊTE DU PALAIS-ROYAL #1] (FR 1899), Variant of Un tournoi, 1899; Lumière cat. no. 1012, 61 ft /19 m [972 frames], 1′ (16 fps); from: camera negative.
This re-enactment of a jousting tournament is probably an untitled entry of the “Fête du Palais-Royal” series, which was filmed in Paris on 13 June 1899.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Record of a performance. 30 years before Jean Renoir, the Lumières produced their Un tournoi.
[FÊTE DU PALAIS-ROYAL #2] (FR 1899), 22 ft /7 m [359 frames], 22″ (16 fps); from: camera negative.
This is most likely another untitled entry of the “Fête du Palais-Royal” series, which was filmed in Paris on 13 June 1899. It is a re-enactment of a king in a royal court knighting a man. The knight is probably the winner of the tournament seen in [Fête du Palais-Royal #1].
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Record of a performance. A royal ceremony.
[FÊTE DU PALAIS-ROYAL #3: RE-ENACTMENT OF SCENES FROM “NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS”] (FR 1899), 172 ft /52 m [2,759 frames], 2’52” (16 fps); from: camera negative (2 reels) and nitrate positive.
This, like the two previous films, is probably an untitled entry of the “Fête du Palais-Royal” series, which was filmed in Paris on 13 June 1899. It features scenes from Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831). The first scene depicts Esmeralda dancing near her goat Djali when the hunchback Quasimodo, sent by Frollo, tries to kidnap her. She is saved, and Quasimodo escapes by climbing a small church (which represents the cathedral of Notre-Dame). In the final scenes Esmeralda and her lover are betrothed, and the wedding procession heads into the church. This film (of unusual length for the period) was found in the form of two camera negatives and a projection print with a single splice.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Scenes from The Hunchback of Notre Dame - the first film record of Notre-Dame de Paris, preceding Albert Capellani's film by 12 years, and the first Victor Hugo film record. But this film was not shot for general release. Visual quality is partially soft and duped.
[PANORAMIC PAINTING OF A BATTLEFIELD] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 47 ft /14 m [753 frames], 47″ (16 fps); from: camera negative.
This is a 360-degree view of a panoramic painting (it may be called an early film about pre-cinema). As this catalogue goes to press, the painting is yet to be definitively identified. It could possibly be the Reichshoffen Panorama (1881) by Théophile Poilpot and Stephen Jacob, depicting a battle in Alsace during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. This documenation of a massive panorama painting is fascinating as a record of a parallel visual spectacle phenomenon, comprehensively examined by Erkki Huhtamo in his magnum opus Illusions in Motion (MIT 2013). But the technical quality is weak, and this might be an outtake.
[MILITARY PARADE AT THE COUR D’HONNEUR IN VERSAILLES] (FR, ca 1903?), 43 ft /13 m [690 frames], 43″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
This scene depicts a parade of cuirassiers and carriages during a state visit in the Cour d’Honneur in Versailles. French President Émile Loubet is in the first carriage, quickly followed by the crowd. The event appears to have attracted much media coverage, as a second camera can be briefly seen passing in front of the cameraman’s lens.
As this catalogue goes to press, the film and the event documented have yet to be positively identified. It could possibly be Départ de Sa Majesté le roi et de M. le président de Versailles (Lumière cat. no. 1392), filmed in October 1903, which depicts King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy visiting France. The lower image quality was likely caused by mistakes in the processing of the film.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. If this is indeed Départ de Sa Majesté le roi et de M. le président de Versailles, Vue N° 1392, then one of the very rare missing Lumière Catalogue films has been found and preserved. There is no image of this movie in the Catalogue Lumière, classified as "vue non retrouvée". There are dots on the image.
[PANORAMA ON THE CREUSE RIVER #1] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 50 ft /15 m [794 frames], 49″ (16 fps); from: camera negative and nitrate positive.
This film, taken from a boat travelling on a river, prominently features a large building with a sign reading “Papeterie de la Haye-Descartes”. This was a well-known French factory of the 19th and early 20th century on the Creuse River that specialized in the manufacture of high-quality paper.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. A tracking shot from a boat.
[DAM ON THE CREUSE RIVER] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 50 ft /15 m [802 frames], 50″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
Men walk across the footbridge of a weir in single file, carrying large boxes, while men in boats are fishing. The location is likely near that of [Panorama on the Creuse River #1 and #2], as the dam can be seen briefly in both of those films.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. An interesting many-layered composition with many fields of action in depth. There is a dam, a waterfall, and a bridge, and porters cross the bridge.
[PANORAMA ON THE CREUSE RIVER #2] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 35 ft /11 m. [558 frames], 35″ (16 fps); from: camera negative and nitrate positive.
In this second panorama on the Creuse River, the camera travels past many of the same buildings seen in [Panorama on the Creuse River #1]. Due to the unsteadiness of the image, there is reason to believe that the camera was handheld.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. The constantly rolling movement of the camera does bring to mind the contemporary fad of the handheld camera.
[PAPER MANUFACTURE] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 15 ft /5 m [242 frames], 15″ (16 fps); from: camera negative and nitrate positive.
This brief segment was found on the same roll of film as [Panorama on the Creuse River #2], with no splice in between. The original was severely underexposed. Large rolls of paper can be seen on the right side of the image. In the background is an only partially visible sign, which could possibly read “Glaçage du papier” – the process of adding a glossy coating to paper. If so, this footage was probably shot within the factory Papeterie de la Haye-Descartes, seen in [Panorama on the Creuse River #1].
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Industrial documentary. Visual quality on the dark side.
[JOURNALISTS AND TYPOGRAPHERS IN EDITORIAL OFFICE] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 46 ft /14 m [728 frames], 45″ (16 fps); from: camera negative.
Two printers in workclothes set a frame of type and take it away to be printed, while a group of men in suits examine and read printed pages.
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Industrial documentary.
[MEN UNLOADING A TRAIN] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 51 ft /16 m [814 frames], 50″ (16 fps); from: camera negative.
This film depicts men unloading large sacks and rolls of paper and other supplies from the car of a freight train pulled by horses. A canvas sign hangs from the second car which reads “Papeterie de la Haye-Descartes”. The scene was probably filmed near the same location seen in [Panorama on the Creuse River #1 and #2].
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. Dynamic action as the cars are pulled by horses, and the cargo is unloaded.
[TRAIN PULLING INTO A FACTORY] (FR, ca 1896-1899), 53 ft /16 m [846 frames], 52″ (16 fps); from: nitrate positive.
The camera takes the perspective of a train as it travels down a track and into a factory. The location needs further confirmation (there is a wagon with the inscription “Chocolat Menier”), but the architecture and the chimneys resemble those of the “Papeterie de la Haye-Descartes” paper factory seen in [Panorama on the Creuse River #1 and #2], [Paper Manufacture], and [Men Unloading a Train].
AA: Hors catalogue, to be identified. A phantom ride: the arrival of the train to the factory has been shot from the engine. The movement is smooth.
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