The Magician

The Magician 1900

4.20

The scene opens on a theatrical stage. The magician enters from the wings, and making a bow to the audience, removes his coat and hat and they disappear mysteriously in the air. He then takes a white handkerchief from his pocket, holds it over his knees, and his long trousers disappear, and behold! he is clad in knickerbockers. He next makes a pass with a magic wand and a table suddenly appears before the audience, on which is a large pile of tissue paper. The magician takes up the paper and shakes it a few times and three live geese fly out upon the floor. This is a highly pleasing and mystifying subject.

1900

Going to Bed Under Difficulties

Going to Bed Under Difficulties 1900

6.40

A man takes off his clothes in preparation for bed, only for new clothes to spontaneously generate, leading to comical consternation.

1900

Chaise en bascule

Chaise en bascule 1900

4.70

Vaudeville comedians Foottit and Chocolat hop and dance around and occasionally fight.

1900

Champs Elysees

Champs Elysees 1900

4.00

Near the main entrance. Hundreds of carriages and characteristic Parisian busses are passing.

1900

Grandma's Reading Glass

Grandma's Reading Glass 1900

6.24

A child borrows his grandmother's magnifying glass to look at a newspaper ad for Bovril, at a watch, and then at a bird. The child shows grandma what he is doing. The child looks next at grandma's eye, then at a kitten.

1900

Le village de Namo - Panorama pris d'une chaise à porteurs

Le village de Namo - Panorama pris d'une chaise à porteurs 1900

6.10

The film is a panorama shot-scene lasting just under a minute. The panorama film, as coined by Lumière, is a moving-camera shot--usually accomplished by placing the camera on a moving transport, such as a boat or train.

1900

The Artist and the Dummy

The Artist and the Dummy 1900

4.50

A very simple gag film as a young lady substitutes herself for a dummy in order to play a practical joke on an artist.

1900

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse 1900

5.80

The magic of a real solar eclipse filmed on 28 May, 1900 by a famous magician, Nevil Maskelyne, while on an expedition by The British Astronomical Association to North Carolina.

1900

Le policeman

Le policeman 1900

4.00

Comic scenes taken at the Nouveau-Cirque by the two famous clowns Foottit and Chocolat. To separate Foottit and Chocolat who are fighting, their servant brings a policeman to whom the two accomplices play all sorts of tricks.

1900

China Versus Allied Powers

China Versus Allied Powers 1900

1

A magician presents a circular piece of paper from which he removes the flags of the allies. Then from each flag he produces a soldier from the respective country, and finally he produces a Chinaman. But hardly have the allies seen the latter than they pounce on him and try to cut him into pieces. The funniest part of our story is that the Chinaman escapes in a balloon, with an expression of childish innocence on his face as the allies try to cut him up.

1900

Davey Jones' Locker

Davey Jones' Locker 1900

4.90

Two sets of images are superimposed. From the side, we see a two-masted ship. Across the deck walks a skeleton. It sits down, its legs akimbo. The legs separate and continue a dance while the body of the skeleton faces us and the skull moves its jaw bone. It rises and the legs rejoin the skull and body for an additional jig back and forth on deck.

1900

Palace of Electricity

Palace of Electricity 1900

5.33

A panoramic shot, making a full circle, at the 1900 Paris Exposition. It begins and ends looking at the front of the Palace of Electricity. As it pans, first we see a workman hosing down the promenade. Men and women walk past, all wearing hats. We see the base of the Eiffel Tower, which the Palace faces. A couple strolls. A mother and daughter walk passed, father is slightly ahead wearing a boater. Three men in uniform walk toward the camera as it comes to a stop facing the Palace.

1900

La toilette du petit chien

La toilette du petit chien 1900

6.00

A man and a child are washing a small dog in a tub, while a large dog is circling around them, barking.

1900

Paris exposition films

Paris exposition films 1900

5.00

White’s camera offers several 360-degree pans of views of the fairground, then amazes by tilting up and down the Eiffel Tower, and concludes with a stunning tracking shot to the highest point above Paris. Exhibitors freely grouped films into nascent narratives such as those displayed here. - Bruce Posner

1900

Faust and Marguerite

Faust and Marguerite 1900

3.90

Marguerite is seated in front of the fireplace, Faust standing by her side. Mephistopheles enters and offers his sword to Faust, commanding him to behead the fair Marguerite. Faust refuses, whereupon Mephistopheles draws the sword across the throat of the lady and she suddenly disappears and Faust is seated in her place.

1900