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Early Cinema
Primitives and Pioneers
(1895-1910)

 

Contents: Le débarquement du congrès de photographie à Lyon [Arrivée des Congressistes á Neuville-Sur-Sâone / Arrival of Congress Members at Neuville-Sur-Sâone] (1895), Arrivée d’un train en gare á la Ciotat (1895), L’Arroseur arrosé (1895) [first version], Barque sortant de port (1895), Démolition d’un mur (1895), The Derby (1895), Partie d’écarte (1895), Repas de bébé (1895), Rough Sea at Dover (1895), La sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière (1895) [third version], Bataille de Boules de Neige (1896), [Leaving Jerusalem by Railway] (1896), Niagara, les chutes (1896), Sortie de la Pompe (Lyon) (1896), Course de taureaux [Spanish Bullfight] (circa 1897), Dewar’s — It’s Scotch (1897), Come Along, Do! (1898) [incomplete], The Miller and the Sweep (1898), The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899), The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899), As Seen Through a Telescope (1900), Attack on a China Mission (1900), The Biter Bit (1900), Explosion of a Motor Car (1900), Grandma’s Reading Glass (1900), How It Feels to Be Run Over (1900), Ladies’ Skirts Nailed to a Fence (circa 1900), Let Me Dream Again (1900), Rough Sea (circa 1900), The Big Swallow (1901), The Countryman and the Cinematograph (1901), Fire! (1901), Historie d’un crime (1901), Mary Jane’s Mishap; or, Don’t Fool with Paraffin (1901), Par le Trou de Serrue (1901), Réve et réalité (1901), Stop Thief! (1901), Ali Baba et les Quarante Voleurs (1902) [incomplete 1905 rerelease version], A Chess Dispute (1903), Daring Daylight Burglary (1903), Desperate Poaching Affray (1903), Extraordinary Cab Accident (1903), The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903), The Great Train Robbery (1903), Sick Kitten (1903), Buy Your Own Cherries (1904), An Interesting Story (1904), The Other Side of the Hedge (1904), Voyage a travers l’impossible (1904), Rescued by Rover (1905), La révolution en Russie (1905), Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse (1906), Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906), The (?) Motorist (1906), A Visit to Peek Frean & Co.’s Biscuit Works (1906) [extracts], Le cheval emballé (1907), That Fatal Sneeze (1907), [Magic Bricks] (1908), The Physician of the Castle (1908), A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner (1910).

coverBFI Video Publishing
2005 DVD edition

Early Cinema: Primitives and Pioneers (1895-1910), black & white, color-tinted black & white and color-toned black & white, 187 minutes total, BBFC Classification E, including Le débarquement du congrès de photographie à Lyon [Arrivée des Congressistes á Neuville-Sur-Sâone / Arrival of Congress Members at Neuville-Sur-Sâone] (1895), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Arrivée d’un train en gare á la Ciotat (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, L’Arroseur arrosé (1895) [first version], black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Barque sortant de port (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Démolition d’un mur (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, The Derby (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Partie d’écarte (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Le repas de bébé (1895), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Rough Sea at Dover (1895), black & white, 30 seconds, BBFC Classification E, La sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière (1895) [third version], black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Bataille de Boules de Neige (1896), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, [Leaving Jerusalem by Railway] (1896), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Niagara, les chutes (1896), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Sortie de la Pompe (Lyon) (1896), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Course de taureaux [Spanish Bullfight] (circa 1897), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Dewar’s — It’s Scotch (1897), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Come Along, Do! (1898) [incomplete], black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Miller and the Sweep (1898), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, As Seen Through a Telescope (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Attack on a China Mission (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Biter Bit (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Explosion of a Motor Car (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Grandma’s Reading Glass (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, How It Feels to Be Run Over (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Ladies’ Skirts Nailed to a Fence (circa 1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Let Me Dream Again (1900), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Rough Sea (circa 1900), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, The Big Swallow (1901), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Countryman and the Cinematograph (1901), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Fire! (1901), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Historie d’un crime (1901), black & white, 5 minutes, BBFC Classification E, Mary Jane’s Mishap; or, Don’t Fool with Paraffin (1901), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Par le Trou de Serrue (1901), black & white, 2 minutes, BBFC Classification E, Réve et réalité (1901), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, Stop Thief! (1901), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Ali Baba et les Quarante Voleurs (1902) [incomplete 1905 rerelease version], color-tinted black & white, 9 minutes, BBFC Classification E, A Chess Dispute (1903), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Daring Daylight Burglary (1903), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Desperate Poaching Affray (1903), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Extraordinary Cab Accident (1903), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903), black & white, 1 minute, BBFC Classification E, The Great Train Robbery (1903), color-toned black & white, 17 minutes, BBFC Classification E, Sick Kitten (1903), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Buy Your Own Cherries (1904), black & white, 4 minutes, BBFC Classification E, An Interesting Story (1904), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Other Side of the Hedge (1904), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Voyage a travers l’impossible (1904), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Rescued by Rover (1905), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, La révolution en Russie (1905), black & white, 4 minutes, BBFC Classification E, Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse (1906), color-tinted black & white, 12 minutes, BBFC Classification E, Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906), black & white, 5 minutes, BBFC Classification E, The (?) Motorist (1906), black & white, 2 minutes, BBFC Classification E, A Visit to Peek Frean & Co.’s Biscuit Works (1906) [extracts], black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, Le cheval emballé (1907), black & white, 7 minutes, BBFC Classification E, That Fatal Sneeze (1907), black & white, ? minutes, BBFC Classification E, [Magic Bricks] (1908), color-tinted black & white, 3 minutes, BBFC Classification E, The Physician of the Castle (1908), black & white, 6 minutes, BBFC Classification E, A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner (1910), black & white, 9 minutes, BBFC Classification E.

BFI Video Publishing, BFIVD643, UPC 5-035673-006436, EAN 5.03567E+12.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 PAL DVD discs; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 7.0 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 50 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.0 surround sound encoded at 448 Kbps audio bit rate (music), Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate (commentary with music), and LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate (music); English language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; closed captions; chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; £19.99.
Release date: 29 August 2005.
Country of origin: England

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 8 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

This PAL DVD collection of 60 early short films from the British Film Institute’s National Archive includes 13 short films by the Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès’ Voyage a travers l’impossible (1904), Birt Acres’ Rough Sea at Dover (1895), nine films by the Pathé brothers (including Ali Baba et les Quarante Voleurs [1902] and Par le Trou de Serrue [Peeping Tom] [1901]), five films from the Hepworth Company (including Rescued by Rover [1905]), an advertising film commissioned by the biscuit company Peek Frean & Co., a documentary produced by the Kineto Company, Limited, A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner (1910), films by the Edison Manufacturing Company (including Dewar’s — It’s Scotch [1897] — reputedly the first advertising film, The Gay Shoe Clerk [1903], The Great Train Robbery [1903] and Dream of a Rarebit Fiend [1906]). Also included are films by Robert W. Paul, George Albert Smith, Sheffield Photographic Company, Walter Haggar, James Bamforth and James A. Williamson. The program is similar to the second and third volumes of the Kino DVD boxset, The Movies Begin, released in the USA.

The films are accompanied by new improvised piano scores performed by Neil Brand, John Sweeney and Stephen Horne.

The disc includes optional audio commentary written by film historian Barry Salt and read by Michael Garland.

For our comparative reviews of some of the individual films, see our Buy Your Own Cherries on home video, The Gay Shoe Clerk on home video and The Great Train Robbery on home video pages.

North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.

 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
 
This Region 2 PAL DVD edition is also available from . . .
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