Cinderella

Cinderella 1899

6.18

A fairy godmother magically turns Cinderella's rags to a beautiful dress, and a pumpkin into a coach. Cinderella goes to the ball, where she meets the Prince - but will she remember to leave before the magic runs out? Méliès based the art direction on engravings by Gustave Doré. First known example of a fairy-tale adapted to film, and the first film to use dissolves to go from one scene to another.

1899

The Kiss in the Tunnel

The Kiss in the Tunnel 1899

5.81

Produced and directed by George Albert Smith, the film shows a couple sharing a brief kiss as their train passes through a tunnel. The Kiss in the Tunnel is said to mark the beginnings of narrative editing. It is in fact, two films in one, hence the 2 min length. Firstly, the G.A. Smith film here for the central cheeky scene in the carriage. The train view footage however is Cecil Hepworth's work, entitled 'View From An Engine Front - Shilla Mill Tunnel', edited into two halves in order to provide a visual narrative of the train entering the tunnel before the kiss and then leaving afterwards. More information about the filming of the phantom train ride can be found searching for the Hepworth film separately.

1899

The Little Girl and Her Cat

The Little Girl and Her Cat 1899

5.80

A little girl sits at a table, holding a container of what appears to be some sort of food. Suddenly there's a flash of movement: a tortoiseshell cat, with long hair and a very furry tail, has leapt onto the table.

1899

The Devil in a Convent

The Devil in a Convent 1899

6.23

A priest is officiating at a convent, when suddenly he is transformed into the devil, who frightens away the nuns and turns the place into pandemonium.

1899

King John

King John 1899

4.85

Based on Shakespeare's play, Act V, Scene vii: King John is in torment, and his supporters fear that his end is near. As he writhes in agony, he is attended by Prince Henry, the Earl of Pembroke, and Robert Bigot. Prince Henry tries repeatedly to comfort his delirious father, but to no avail - John's pain is too great.

1899

The Dreyfus Affair

The Dreyfus Affair 1899

5.73

The first movie ever censored for political reasons. The title refers to the then contemporaneous Dreyfus affair in which a Jewish military officer was falsely convicted of treason, and it was alleged that he was framed due to anti-semitism.

1899

The Conjurer

The Conjurer 1899

6.28

A film from Méliès has him playing a magician who does a few tricks including making a woman disappear.

1899

Suicide of Colonel Henry

Suicide of Colonel Henry 1899

4.90

Shows the interior of the cell of the Prison Militaire du Cherche-Midi, Paris, where Colonel Henry is confined. He is seated at a table writing a letter, on completion of which he rises and takes a razor out he had concealed in his porte-manteau, with which he cuts his throat. The suicide is discovered by the sergeant of the guard and officers.

1899

Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus

Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus 1899

4.70

Du Paty de Clam requests Captain Dreyfus to write as he dictates for the purpose of ascertaining whether his handwriting conforms to that of the Bordereau. He notices the nervousness of Dreyfus, and accuses him of being the author of the Bordereau. Paty de Clam offers Dreyfus a revolver, with advice to commit suicide. The revolver is scornfully rejected, Dreyfus stating that he had no need for such cowardly methods, proclaiming his innocence. His arrest is immediately ordered by M. Cochefort.

1899

Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst Operation

Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst Operation 1899

4.00

Also known as The Operation of Dr. Alejandro Posadas. Filmed with early orthochromatic film in the Hospital de Clínicas de la Ciudad in Buenos Aires.

1899

The Kiss in the Tunnel

The Kiss in the Tunnel 1899

5.30

A train heads for a tunnel. In one car, a restless man smokes, and a woman is reading on the seat opposite him. In the darkness of the tunnel, he rises, crosses over to her seat and the two share a willing embrace and kiss. The train steams out of the tunnel toward us and past us. A Bamforth Films remake of George Albert Smith's The Kiss in the Tunnel (I) (1899).

1899

The Pillar of Fire

The Pillar of Fire 1899

5.84

A devil wearing bat-like wings and brandishing a trident dances around a giant pot, conjuring forth flame from his trident to lit a fire beneath the pot. After the devil works the fire with bellows, an angelic woman emerges from the pot. The devil and the pot vanish as the woman performs a dance, waving about her diaphanous sleeves until she conjures forth another fire, then she rises amongst the smoke into the air.

1899

Mesmerist and Country Couple

Mesmerist and Country Couple 1899

2.50

“Mr. and Mrs. Hayseed have heard of this wonderful Professor, and come to his office. They waken him from a trance, give him a fee and he hypnotizes them. The stunts they do while under his influence would make the Sphinx laugh for joy. Hayseed stands on his head, balances himself on a chair and takes off his clothes. Mrs. Hayseed also begins to disrobe, but she goes behind a screen. Her bare arm appears over the top, and she drops her clothes on the floor. It is a hair raising moment to guess what she's going to do next. The mystical appearances and lightning changes are managed with wonderful cleverness.” (Edison film catalog)

1899

Défilé de voitures de bébés à la pouponnière de Paris

Défilé de voitures de bébés à la pouponnière de Paris 1899

5.60

A long line of nurses pushing carts with their babies enter from the far right, cross a garden in front of the large nursery home, and leave by the close left to the camera. A few toddlers also follow in the same orderly line, along their nurses.

1899

Dreyfus Put in Irons

Dreyfus Put in Irons 1899

5.10

Showing the interior view of the hut in which Dreyfus is confined. The scene takes place at night, showing the moon through the window of the cell. Two guards stealthily approach the cot upon which Dreyfus is sleeping. They awake him and read to him the order from the French minister–M. Lebon–to put him into irons, which they proceed at once to accomplish. Dreyfus vigorously protests against this treatment, which protests, however, fall on deaf ears. The chief sergeant and guards before leaving the hut, inspect the four corners of same by means of a lantern.

1899