The Four Troublesome Heads

The Four Troublesome Heads 1898

7.15

One of the greatest of black art pictures. The conjurer appears before the audience, with his head in its proper place. He then removes his head, and throwing it in the air, it appears on the table opposite another head, and both detached heads sing in unison. The conjurer then removes it a third time. You then see all three of his heads, which are exact duplicates, upon the table at one time, while the conjurer again stands before the audience with his head perfectly intact, singing in unison with the three heads upon the table. He closes the picture by bowing himself from the stage.

1898

Divers at Work on the Wreck of the

Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine" 1898

6.00

Divers go to work on a wrecked ship (the battleship Maine that was blown up in Havana harbour during the Spanish-American War), surrounded by curiously disproportionate fish.

1898

Santa Claus

Santa Claus 1898

6.20

Santa arrives at a house on Christmas Eve to deliver his presents for the children.

1898

The Temptation of St. Anthony

The Temptation of St. Anthony 1898

5.83

St. Anthony is tempted by visions of women, including one that is transformed from the image of Jesus Christ Himself!

1898

La cène

La cène 1898

3.83

Scene of the last supper.

1898

The Famous Box Trick

The Famous Box Trick 1898

6.10

A magician performs a series of magic tricks involving a boy and a box.

1898

Shooting Captured Insurgents

Shooting Captured Insurgents 1898

4.30

“A file of Spanish soldiers line up the Cubans against a blank wall and fire a volley. The flash of rifles and drifting smoke make a very striking picture.” (Edison film catalog)

1898

Adventures of William Tell

Adventures of William Tell 1898

5.62

The scene opens in an artist's studio where the unfinished statue of William Tell stands upon a pedestal. A clown appears and sticks a clay arm and clay head on the statue, thus completing it. He places a large brick on top of the head to make it stick. When he turns his back the statue turns into a living representation of William Tell. (Edison Catalog)

1898

Turkish Dance, Ella Lola

Turkish Dance, Ella Lola 1898

5.30

In this movie, dancer Ella Lola performs a Turkish variation of a "Danse Du Ventre", the oriental belly dance. In her dance she shakes, twists and turns around in a very energetic dance. The elements of Turkish folklore can be felt despite the lack of sound as the differences from this and other belly dances are very notorious when her traditional Turkish dress swings in a marvellous way as she dances. Unlike other films about exotic dances, Lola's movies (the other was "Ella Lola, a la Trilby") were of a less erotic nature and more focused on the realistic representation of the dance. A professional dancer since a very young age, Lola's dancing is very graceful and showcases an enormous control over her body.

1898

The Merry Skeleton

The Merry Skeleton 1898

6.14

A skeleton dances joyously, often collapsing into a heap of bones and quickly putting itself back together.

1898

The Magician

The Magician 1898

6.18

In this scene is shown a magician behind an ordinary table, upon which he suddenly and mysteriously causes to appear a large box, into which he leaps. The sides of the box fall to the ground, but instead of containing the magician a lively clown steps forth who further mystifies the audience by causing the box to disappear, and in its place is seen a fully laid table with a smoking dinner, to which the clown applies himself. The table, however, suddenly disappears much to the astonishment of the clown, who is confronted by the magician in the garb of Mephistopheles. This he suddenly changes to that of a sculptor, and in the background is seen a pedestal with the bust of a young lady, which comes to life as the sculptor applies the mallet and chisel.

1898

The Oil Gush in Balakhany

The Oil Gush in Balakhany 1898

4.50

A film directed by the pioneer of cinema in Azerbaijan, Alexandre Michon, it was filmed on August 4, 1898 in Balakhany, Baku and presented at the International Paris Exhibition. The film was shot using a 35mm film on a Lumière cinematograph. Silent movie. (Wikipedia)

1898

Little Mischief

Little Mischief 1898

3.20

Papa is reading his newspaper and his little girl tickles his neck with a long straw. Thinking it is a fly papa "shoos" away the supposed fly with his hand…

1898