Schede film di /Programme notes
Introduzione di/Introduction
Prog. 1 - Film sperimentali per Edison/Experimental films for Edison
Prog. 2 - La produzione nella Black Maria/Production in the Black Maria
Prog. 3 - Biographare/Biographing
I. Experimental films for Edison
Edison envisaged his Kinetograph/Kinetoscope as an adjunct to – or an extension of – his cylinder phonograph. To join the image to his phonograph Dickson, his photographic specialist, was charged with trying to capture images as small as 1/32nd of an inch on a companion cylinder. The available photographic material was ill-suited for the purpose, and the graininess and distortion caused by the curvature of the cylinder made his early tests unacceptable. He persuaded Edison to accept a series of gradual increases in the size of the image. By the time of his final experiments with the cylinder the size of the image had increased to ¼-inch, and the cylinder was becoming too large to synchronize with the phonograph. He was now using the celluloid sheet-film that Carbutt and others began marketing late in 1888, but switched to the celluloid roll-film which Eastman began producing at the end of the summer of 1889. – Paul Spehr
[MONKEYSHINES NO. 1] (Edison, US 1889)
[MONKEYSHINES NO. 2] (Edison, US 1889)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Charles Brown?; riprese/filmed:an outdoor photographic shed or photo building, Edison Laboratory, Orange, NJ, June-July 1889; ?? ft., 28” + 28” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Mastered from a photograph, courtesy Charles Musser & Edison National Historic Site, Orange, NJ.
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A photograph of 3 strips of cylinder experiments was sent to the U.S. Patent Office in 1896 to support Edison’s application for a patent for a camera taking moving images. They reproduced images made on sections of celluloid cut from sheets purchased in June 1889. According to Dickson the celluloid was wrapped around the cylinder and exposure was made by light from a Leyden jar. Images from 2 of those strips are reproduced here. They show one of Dickson’s co-workers dressed in white doing “monkeyshines”, i.e., cavorting in front of a dark background. Testifying later, Fred Ott said he posed for such tests, and he may be one of the performers here. Ott and fellow Edison employees said these tests were made prior to August 1889, but film historians, led by Gordon Hendricks, have challenged this. Hendricks opined that Dickson was still working on a cylinder machine as late as 1891, because of a statement by Dickson in his 1933 article in the Journal of the SMPE that Sacco Albanese, who did not work for Edison until 1890, posed for Monkeyshines. There is, however, evidence that the subsequent machine using strips of celluloid fed horizontally was in use early in 1890. The weeks following receipt of the celluloid were an unusually intense period of work, which coincided with a feverish effort by Dickson to purchase the new celluloid roll-film which Eastman announced during this period, July 1889. Finally, a photograph showing the machine that used Eastman’s rolls shows Charles Kayser behind it, and Kayser’s last day of work with the machine was 8 May 1890. This evidence is not conclusive, however, so the debate about this will probably continue. Regardless of the exact date, these are some of the earliest photographs intended to create the illusion of movement. – Paul Spehr
[TEST STRIPS FROM THE HORIZONTAL-FEED STRIP KINETOGRAPH/ KINETOSCOPE: DICKSON GREETING; NEWARK ATHLETE/INDIAN CLUB SWINGER; MEN BOXING] (Edison, US, 1890-91)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; riprese/filmed:Photo Building or outside photo shed, Edison Laboratory, Orange, NJ, Spring 1891; 35mm, ?? ft., ??” (15-16 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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On 20 May 1891, an image of W.K.L. Dickson gesturing to the camera with a straw hat in hand was shown to delegates from the Women’s Clubs of America on a prototype Kinetoscope at Edison’s Laboratory following their luncheon at Edison’s home, Glenmont. This was one of several tests made during 1891, and strips cut from three – Dickson’s greeting, an athlete swinging Indian clubs, and men boxing – which survived in a notebook kept by Edison’s close associate Charles Batchelor, are reproduced here. The images were circular, about ¾-inch in diameter, and the film, which was perforated, ran horizontally through the camera. They are short – only 13 or 14 images – so the action is brief and fragmentary. Dickson was not satisfied with the quality of these films, and in the fall of 1891 he made the image a rectangle 1-inch wide by ¾-inch high, and changed the orientation of the film so it moved vertically. To steady the film he added a second row of larger rectangular perforations, 4 to each frame. The result was the format we call 35mm. – Paul Spehr
BLACKSMITHING SCENE (Edison, US 1893)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, late April or early May 1893; 35mm, 50 ft., ??” (15-16 fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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This small piece of working life features Edison employees. A smith and two helpers at work are encouraged by a bottle that they pass around. The film, made in the Black Maria studio in late April or early May 1893, was shown at a demonstration for the Department of Physics at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences on Tuesday, 9 May 1893. It was the first demonstration of the Kinetoscope outside the Edison Laboratory. – Paul Spehr
EDISON KINETOSCOPIC RECORD OF A SNEEZE (The Sneeze / Fred Ott’s Sneeze) (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: Frederick Ott; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 7.1.1894; 35mm, ?? ft., 9” (30 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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A publicity film made at the request of Barnet Phillips, a writer preparing an article for Harper’s Weekly. Fred Ott took snuff, sneezed, and gained a degree of immortality. Although the film only had limited showings, it is perhaps the best-known film made for the Kinetoscope. Barnet Phillips’ article, “The Record of a Sneeze”, appeared in the 24 March 1894 issue of Harper’s Weekly. The account of the Fred Ott film in Dickson’s History of the Kinetograph, Kinetoscope and Kineto-Phonograph (1895) says that despite taking snuff twice, and breathing pepper, Fred Ott could not sneeze, so the filming was postponed to the next day, when it was finally successful, so this seems to be the first recorded re-take. – Paul Spehr
II. Production in the Black Maria
Film production for public exhibition began early in 1894, in or immediately adjacent to the studio built on the grounds of Edison’s laboratory in Orange, New Jersey. The “Black Maria”, so-named by Edison’s staff because it reminded them of a police wagon, was purpose-built to resolve the exposure problems that plagued Dickson. The studio could be revolved on a pivot so the sun would flood the stage through the open roof, and the area behind the stage was a blackened recess designed to absorb ambient light (a technique borrowed from Marey). Filming was done during midday, when intense sunlight provided maximum contrast. The camera was mounted on an iron base to reduce vibration of the electric motor used to ensured a steady rate of exposure. Though it was bulky, the camera could move back and forth, and be raised or lowered to suit the subject being filmed. In order to reduce flicker, exposure was done at a high rate. The ideal was 46 frames per second, though most films were probably taken at about 30 fps. This controlled environment allowed Dickson to plan and rehearse each shot, and though his objective was to make the scene appear natural, even candid, his careful planning is evident in most of his films. Characteristically, the action begins before the camera starts, and continues after the camera stops. Though the viewer sees only a portion, it is the essential portion, and if staged successfully the viewer does not feel cheated. – Paul Spehr
ATHLETE WITH A WAND (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast:athlete from the Newark Turnverein; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 2.1894; 35mm, ?? ft., 17” (36 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Blow-up from a 16mm print.
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The influence of Muybridge and Marey is evident in this and in the film of Sandow that follows. However, Dickson’s film is longer, and the action is a bit more complex than the chronophotographers’ images. As was often the case, Dickson seems to acknowledge a debt to his contemporaries but strives for improvements. It’s not clear what the dog contributes, but Dickson liked animals and it is a pleasant addition. – Paul Spehr
SANDOW (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: Eugene Sandow; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 6.3.1894; 35mm, 50 ft., 23” (30 fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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The strongman Eugene Sandow was the first prominent variety performer to be filmed, and the occasion marks the symbolic beginning of production for the public. Sandow’s appearance at Koster & Bial’s Music Hall was something of a sensation, and his visit to Orange was covered extensively by the press, so it is not far-fetched to regard it as an advertisement. It promoted Sandow – and Edison’s Kinetoscope. Only a fraction of Sandow’s act was shown, but Dickson’s staging gave viewers a closer, more intimate exposure than theatre seats allowed, and gave people who could not come to the theatre an opportunity to see Sandow in action. – Paul Spehr
ANNABELLE, BUTTERFLY DANCE (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: Annabelle Whitford; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, July-August 1894; 35mm, 50 ft., 20” (30 fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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Annabelle Whitford (Annabelle Whitford Moore/Peerless Annabelle) was one of the most popular of the several professional dancers Dickson filmed for the Kinetoscope, and she was filmed the most often – she was re-filmed as the negatives wore out. Her Serpentine Dance was modeled after the dance made famous by Loïe Fuller, but it is probable that more people saw Annabelle’s filmed dances – or the numerous versions made by others – than saw Loïe Fuller. – Paul Spehr
CORBETT AND COURTNEY BEFORE THE KINETOGRAPH (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: James J. Corbett, Peter Courtney; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 7.9.1894; 35mm?, 150 ft., 39” (36 fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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The most costly, and sensational, of the early Kinetoscope films was the boxing match between World’s heavyweight champion James J. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett and Peter Courtney, billed as the champion of New Jersey. It was made for the Kinetoscope Exhibiting Company, who exhibited the bout on specially enlarged versions of Edison’s Kinetoscope. Six films, each a one-minute round, were made, with Courtney conveniently knocked out in Round 6. The visit of Corbett to Orange was widely reported in the sporting press. At the time, boxing was illegal in many parts of the U.S., including New Jersey, and Edison and Dickson were arraigned in court for conducting an illegal match. The judge dismissed the charges on the grounds that it was an exhibition, since the shortened rounds did not constitute a real fight. – Paul Spehr
SIOUX GHOST DANCE / GHOST DANCE (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast:members of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West [show]; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 24.9.1894; 35mm, 50 ft., 20” (36 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Blow-up from 16mm print.
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On 26 September 1894 the East Orange Gazette reported, “Wild West Kinetoscoped”. Dickson had filmed Buffalo Bill, Sioux Ghost Dance, and Buffalo Dance, all featuring members of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West troupe. The busy day was also reported in the New York Journal, Newark Evening News, and Orange Chronicle. Buffalo Bill demonstrated rapid rifle firing. Several ethnic groups were featured in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, and a number of them were filmed in the Black Maria. This performance by members of the Sioux Tribe is unusual, and an important historical and ethnographic document. Misdirected concern about the cult of the Ghost Dance, which combined native culture with elements of Christianity, was a contributing factor to the massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota (29 December 1890). – Paul Spehr
BUFFALO DANCE (Edison, US 1894) [*This may be dropped]
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: members of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West [show]; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, 24.9.1894; 35mm, 50 ft., 18” (18 fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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The Sioux Buffalo Dance was done to native drum music, and three Chiefs were present: Last Horse, Parts His Hair, and Hair Coat. Other members of the group were Black Cat, Charging Crow, Dull Knife, Holy Bear, Crazy Bull, Strong Talker, Pine, Little Eagle Horse, Young Bear, Johnny No Neck Burke, Seven Up, and Run About. It was quite an occasion, though filmings were often a social as well as business event. Mrs. Edison and her two daughters came to the Black Maria to watch. Also present were Major Jack Stillwell, the celebrated scout; John Shangren, interpreter; Major John M. Burke, manager of the Wild West show; and F. Madden, advertising manager. – Paul Spehr
BAND DRILL (Edison, US 1894)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Heise; cast: Frank Baldwin (Steele Ayers, the band-master), Fred W. Boardman, William Cushing, Ad. Dorsch, E.P. Brown, J.F. Boardman, George Goddard, E.F. Balch, Paul Pfarr; riprese/filmed: Black Maria, Orange, NJ, late November 1894; 35mm, 50 ft., 15” (40 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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During the fall of 1894 scenes from several New York theatrical productions were filmed. The musical Milk White Flag was playing at Hoyt’s Theatre, New York City, and 34 cast members were assembled on the small stage of the Black Maria for one film. Careful planning was needed to maneuver the band through its paces. – Paul Spehr
III. Biographing
In April 1894 Dickson left Edison under a cloud. He was accused of helping a potential rival, the Latham family, develop a competing camera and projector. The extent to which he aided the Lathams is open to question – everyone, himself included, denies his involvement, but he was the most experienced of those involved, so suspicions remain. But there is no question that he aided his friends Elias B. Koopman, Harry Marvin, and Herman Casler (the KMCD group) in developing a moving image system that was soon Edison’s principal domestic competition. The American Mutoscope Co. was created at the end of 1895 (almost simultaneously with the premiere of the Lumières’ Cinématographe). The company was initially formed to exploit its peepshow machine, the Mutoscope, but the sensation caused by the Cinématographe, followed by the popularity of Edison’s Vitascope, caused them to change course and offer projection.
Dickson’s skill as a filmmaker was one of the company’s chief assets. He was responsible for film production, and he elaborated the system he created for Edison. His new studio was an improved design; facilities to develop and process film were more elaborate; and the staff hired and trained included Billy Bitzer and Arthur Marvin – names familiar to Griffith enthusiasts. But by the summer of 1896, when they were ready to make films, it was clear that audiences wanted variety, and favored films taken on location, so even though the company’s camera was designed for studio work it was taken on the road. After establishing production in New York, which Dickson called “Biographing”, he moved on to London and repeated the process in England. Production facilities in France and Germany followed. – Paul Spehr
ANNABELLE IN FLAG DANCE/ FLAG DANCE BY ANNABELLE (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; cast: Annabelle Whitford; riprese/filmed:rooftop studio, New York City, l’estate/summer 1896; AMCo. Production No. 35; 35mm, ?? ft., 20” (18 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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Sandow and Peerless Annabelle were the first performers filmed by the new American Mutoscope Co. Annabelle reprised her Butterfly Dance and several others, among them this example of American patriotism. – Paul Spehr
HARD WASH (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. “Billy” Bitzer; cast: “Jo-Jo” & his mother; riprese/filmed:rooftop studio, New York City, l’estate/summer 1896; © 1896 68818 & 1903 H32079; AMCo. Production No. 39; 35mm, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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This scene of an African-American woman vigorously scrubbing a black baby was immensely popular with early audiences, and was featured on Biograph’s programs in London and Paris, as well as various locations in the U.S. Edison’s almost identical version, A Morning Bath, was made a few weeks after this was first shown. – Paul Spehr
RIP VAN WINKLE: RIP’S TOAST (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. Bitzer; cast: Joseph Jefferson; riprese/filmed: Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, late August 1896; © 1896 69095 & 1902 H25401; AMCo. Production No. 45; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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Dickson filmed Joseph Jefferson in scenes from his most popular role, Rip Van Winkle. Seven films were made outdoors at Jefferson’s Massachusetts estate. Jefferson had commissioned Dion Boucicault’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s popular tale, and had been touring in it since 1865. Jefferson’s son Charles B. Jefferson was the producer of Sandow’s variety show, which contracted for the first public showing of the Biograph projection (in September 1896), and he probably arranged this filming. Although this is probably the first multi-part drama ever filmed, before 1900 the 7 scenes were rarely shown as a grouping. This scene, Rip’s Toast, is the one that most early audiences saw. – Paul Spehr
MCKINLEY AT HOME, CANTON, OHIO (Wm. McKinley Receiving Telegram Announcing His Election) (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. Bitzer; cast: William McKinley; riprese/filmed: Canton, Ohio, 18.9.1896; © 1896, 61793; AMCo. Production No. 72; 35mm, ?? ft., 44” (24 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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The first political campaign film. It was staged to show the Republican presidential candidate William McKinley in a manner suiting his well-publicized front porch campaign. The tranquil scene of McKinley and an assistant strolling from his porch to a sunny spot in front of the camera masked the hubbub of a day that was the busiest of the campaign. Trainloads of supporters streamed into Canton, Ohio, and paraded to McKinley’s house, where the candidate greeted them from a platform at the front of the yard – conveniently off-camera. This film, and 4 films of a campaign parade that same day, were undoubtedly made at the behest of McKinley’s supporters. Abner McKinley, the candidate’s brother, was a stockholder in the American Mutoscope Co., and a number of railroad executives were on the company’s board. McKinley’s campaign had strong support from railroad companies, who gave particular assistance to the events of the day by offering cheap train rides from Pittsburgh, major points in Ohio, and as far away as Chicago for groups supporting McKinley. The film was shown on 12 October 1896, at the company’s official New York premiere, to an invited audience of party officials and railroad executives, who cheered, demanded a re-run, and were embarrassed when they realized that they had shouted “Speech! Speech!” to a shadow on a screen. On 2 November 1896, Election Day, it was projected on an outside screen at the New York World’s Pulitzer Building as part of the paper’s election coverage. – Paul Spehr
EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS NO. 1 (Empire State Express, N.Y. Central R.R.) (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. Bitzer; riprese/filmed: Palatine, NY, [2].10.1896; © 1897 68807 & 1902 H30327; AMCo. Production No. 77; 35mm, ?? ft., 19” (18 fps); fonte copia/print source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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Dickson, with Bitzer as his assistant, filmed the New York Central Railroad’s crack train, the Empire State Express, running at the record speed of 60 miles per hour. According to the Canastota Bee, 3 October 1896, the film was taken at Palatine, near Canastota, New York, the home of Henry Marvin and Herman Casler of the American Mutoscope Co. According to a contemporary timetable, the train was due at Palatine at 12:13 pm. This film was a sensation wherever it premiered, and was probably the initiator of the reports that early audiences fainted and ducked under their seats. Such reports appeared in papers in New York, London, and Paris following the first showing.
[Note: This is a blow-up from a 16mm copy made from a Paper Print, and does not reflect the film’s original pictorial quality.] – Paul Spehr
AMERICAN FALLS, LUNA ISLAND (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. Bitzer; riprese/filmed: Niagara Falls, NY, 9.1896; © 1897 3553 & 1903 H30732; AMCo. Production No. 63; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
AMERICAN FALLS, GOAT ISLAND NO. 25 (American Mutoscope Co., US 1896)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: G.W. Bitzer; riprese/filmed: Niagara Falls, NY, 9.1896; © 1897; 3560 & 1903 H30733; AMCo. Production No. 64; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
The first movie audiences took particular delight in scenes of rushing, churning water. These scenes of Niagara Falls were taken in September 1896, while Dickson and Bitzer were filming McKinley and the Empire State Express. It is no coincidence that New Yorkers (and others) going to the Falls might travel on the Empire State Express. When Dickson and his partners, Marvin, Casler, and Koopman, created the American Mutoscope Co. their objective was advertising first; entertainment was an afterthought. Recent scholarship has compared these and similar films to 19th-century paintings of the Falls by Frederic Edwin Church, William Morris Hunt, and others (see “Experiencing Nature in Early Film,” by Katherine Manthorne, in Early Film and American Artistic Traditions, Hudson Hills Press & Williams College, 2005). Dickson was probably familiar with these paintings. He was not alone in filming the Falls. His trip to Niagara coincided with that of Alexandre Promio for Lumière, and Edison’s James White and William Heise arrived soon after. – Paul Spehr
AFTERNOON TEA IN THE GARDENS OF CLARENCE HOUSE (The Clarence House Lawn Party) (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1897)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; riprese/filmed: Clarence House, London, 6/7.1897; cast:“HRH the Prince of Wales ... with the Duke and Duchess of York, Prince George of Greece, and other notable personages...”; AMCo. Production No. 22E; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: BFI National Archive, London.
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In May 1897 Dickson went to England to film Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, and by summer the Biograph had put roots down and begun film production in England. Films of the Royal Family were popular, and fortunately the Royal Family liked to appear on film. This film of the future Kings Edward VII and George V was shown on 21 July 1897, along with other films of the Royal Family, at a Royal Command Performance sponsored by the Prince of Wales. Elias B. Koopman and W.K.L. Dickson presented the films after a banquet for the Commanders of the Royal Order of the Bath in Queen Anne’s Room, St. James’s Palace, London. Eugene Lauste was projectionist. Dickson described making the film to Will Day: “.... I also interviewed the Duke of Edinburgh in a sham tea party – the Duchess of [Teck] pouring tea, receiving our present King George and others – insisting that her parrot should be in evidence.” – Paul Spehr
CHARGE PAR ESCADRONS, EXÉCUTÉE PAR LE 1er RÉGT. DE CUIRASSIERS (Charge of the French Cuirassiers – Paris) (The Mutoscope & Biograph Syndicate, GB 1897)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; riprese/filmed: Bois de Boulogne, Paris; 8/9.1897; AMCo. Production No. 83E; 35mm, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam [B15020 II].
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After launching production in London Dickson traveled to the Continent; the first stop was Paris, where this restaging of a familiar Lumière subject was made. Dickson had undoubtedly seen the Lumières’ film, as it was one of the most popular films on the program at the Union Square Theater during the summer of 1896, and the theater was only a short walk from the American company’s New York headquarters. In an effort to intensify the effect of the assault, the horses charge the camera, passing on both sides. As described by H.L. Adam (in his article “Round the World for the Biograph”, published in The Royal Magazine, June 1901): “At another military display, in France, the photographer confesses that he himself was nearly answerable for the premature quietus of a fellow creature. It was a charge of Cuirassiers, and as they were approaching, Mr. Dickson waved his hand as a signal for them to take a slightly different direction. They answered to the signal, swerved, collided, and down went one of their number, biting the dust in curious confusion.” – Paul Spehr
A CAMP OF ZINGAREE GYPSIES (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1897)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; riprese/filmed:near Budapest, Hungary, 9.1897; AMCo. Production No. 87E; 35mm, 41 ft., 27” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
In September 1897 Dickson was in Austria-Hungary and Germany to film subjects suitable for European audiences – and those in the U.S. as well. While in Budapest he went to the countryside to film local scenes. As described in the Biograph Company’s 1902 catalogue: “The real Zingari gypsy is an exceedingly picturesque person, quite different from the wandering nomads we are accustomed to see in America. Our photographer was very fortunate in getting one of these camps by the side of a Hungarian highway, and his work was so successful that one could hardly get a better insight into the life of the strange people if he were to spend months traveling in their own country. The naked children are rolling about on the grass with the dogs, the women are smoking pipes and cooking the evening meal over an out-door fire. The mother is telling fortunes for a stranger, and the whole scene is one of animation. Photographically the view is almost perfect.” – Paul Spehr
MILITARY EXERCISE – ALDERSHOT (A Terrible Spill) (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; riprese/filmed: Aldershot, England, 18.2.1898; AMCo. Production No. 108E; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Military subjects were consistent crowd-pleasers, and this film showing a near fatal accident was especially popular. As described in the company’s 1902 catalogue: “One of the best known and one of the most sensational moving pictures ever made. ... Our camera was stationed at the side of an English run-way filled with obstructions, which is used for cavalry exercises, at Aldershot. Picture to be taken was a number of hussars jumping one of the stiffest of the obstacles. The horses came over in fine form, one after another, until almost the end of the picture, when one of them slips throwing the cavalryman over his head and falling heavily on top of him. The other horsemen immediately following barely escape landing on the prostrate horse and man. The latter was severely injured. At the end of the picture several soldiers are seen running up, picking him up and carrying him away.” – Paul Spehr
CONWAY CASTLE – PANORAMIC VIEW OF CONWAY ON THE L. & N.W. RAILWAY (Conway Castle) (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; riprese/filmed: Conway, Wales, 2.1898; AMCo. Production No. 107E; 35mm, 142 ft., 2’11” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
The Irish Mail train filmed on the London & Northwest Railway at Conway, Wales. One of the most popular of the “phantom ride” films, it shows a panorama of the countryside and the castle as the train runs through the Welsh countryside. – Paul Spehr
IRISH MAIL – L. & N.W. RAILWAY – TAKING UP WATER AT FULL SPEED! (The “Jennie Dean” – Bushey) (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; riprese/filmed: Bushey, England, 2.1898; AMCo. Production No. 112E; 35mm, 116 ft., 1’54” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
On the same trip promoting the Irish Mail, Dickson captured this remarkable scene, on the London & Northwest Railway, at Bushey, England. The camera is mounted on a train running parallel with the Irish Mail, pulled by an engine named the Jennie Dean. During the filming a third train passes between the two. Near the end of the shot the trains change tracks, allowing a better angle for recording the process of taking water from troughs along the track. – Paul Spehr
FEEDING PIGEONS AT ST. MARK’S SQUARE (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; cast: W.K.L. Dickson; riprese/filmed: Venezia/Venice, May-June 1898; 35mm?, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: BFI National Archive, London.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
While in Italy to persuade Pope Leo XIII to appear on film Dickson made several side trips for filming. Most were to film supplementary religious subjects, but in Venice he filmed tourist sites. His appearance in this film, shot in front of St. Mark’s and near Quadri’s, might seem ego-driven, but it was probably to control the young girl who was featured. She had a tendency to forget the pigeons and distractedly wander off-camera, but she returned when bidden by Mr. D. The girl and the woman are unidentified. – Paul Spehr
POPE LEO XIII, IN HIS CARRIAGE, PASSING THROUGH THE VATICAN GARDENS WITH ESCORT OF NOBLE GUARD COMMANDED BY COUNT CAMILLO PECCI. HIS HOLINESS IS MET BY HIS EXCELLENCE, MONSIGNOR DELLA VOLPE (Pope Leo XIII in Carriage) (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; cast: Pope Leo XIII, Count Camillo Pecci, Mons. Della Volpe; riprese/filmed: Vatican Gardens, Rome, May-June 1898; 35mm, 67 ft., 43” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Dickson considered the films he made of Pope Leo XIII in the Vatican to be one of the outstanding achievements of his career, and his contemporaries agreed. The Pope was rarely seen, since he continued a protest of the political status of the Papal States begun by his predecessor and refused to leave the Vatican. Because of his age (88) and frequent illnesses his advisors were reluctant to let him be filmed, but they apparently relented when persuaded that the Pope could extend his blessing to people that he could not reach otherwise. This is one of 6 or 7 films the Pope consented to pose for. The exact number taken is confused because of changes made in how they were exhibited and the different titles applied to suit the anticipated audiences. The first public exhibition was at New York’s Carnegie Hall, 14 December 1898, but by agreement the papal films were not shown on the company’s programs at variety theatres. Many people saw them on Mutoscopes or at specially arranged projections. This film shows the Pope in his carriage being greeted by his major domo, Monsignor Della Volpe. The Pope’s nephew, Count Camillo Pecci, is seen at the head of the Papal Guards. – Paul Spehr
THE VATICAN MILITARY GUARD, CONSISTING OF A DETACHMENT OF NOBLE GUARDS, COMMANDED BY COUNT PECCI, FOLLOWED BY A PALATINE GUARD OF HONOUR, SWISS GUARD, GENDARMES, AND FIRE BRIGADE (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; riprese/filmed: Vatican, Rome, April-June 1898; 35mm, 77 ft., 50” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.??
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
The short lengths of film available required careful staging, with no allowance for waste, and this scene is an outstanding example of Dickson’s ability to compress visual information to create interest and clarity. Five units of Vatican militia were succinctly recorded in a film lasting less than a minute. The groups approach the camera in an “S” pattern, which allows maximum viewing of each unit. Though the camera is elevated to give perspective, the units pass close enough that faces can be clearly distinguished. – Paul Spehr
THE QUEEN AND QUEEN MOTHER ON THE PALACE BALCONY RESPONDING TO THE CALL OF THE POPULACE (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1898)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; cast: Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Mother Emma; riprese/filmed: Amsterdam, 6.9.1898; AMCo. Production No. 270E; 35mm, 39 ft., 25” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Six films made in September 1898 recorded the coronation ceremonies of Queen Wilhelmina of the Nederlands in Amsterdam. This film shows the Queen and her mother, Emma, who had been regent until Wilhelmina reached 18, from an interesting elevated camera location. As described in the American company’s 1902 catalogue: “After the coronation, Queen Wilhelmina and her mother proceeded to the Royal Palace, and our pictures show them upon the balcony bowing and waving greetings to the immense throng of people who are cheering them from the public square below.” – Paul Spehr
LAUNCH OF THE “OCEANIC” (The Mutoscope and Biograph Syndicate, GB 1899)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: Emile Lauste; riprese/filmed: Belfast, Ireland, 14.1.1899; AMCo. Production No. 299E; 35mm, 38 ft., ??” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
This stunning shot records the launch of the largest passenger vessel built up to that time. The film was rushed to London to be on the screen at the Palace Theatre within 3 days of the launch. The Warwick Trading Co. also filmed the event, and joined the race to the screen. – Paul Spehr
A SCENE – “KING JOHN”, NOW PLAYING AT HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE: THE LAST MOMENTS OF KING JOHN OF ENGLAND IN THE ORCHARD OF SWINSTEAD ABBEY (Beerbohm Tree, The Great English Actor) (The British Mutoscope and Biograph Company, GB 1899)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: ?; cast: Herbert Beerbohm Tree (King John), members of the cast from Her Majesty’s Theatre, London, England; riprese/filmed: Thames embankment studio, London, 18.9.1899; AMCo. Production No. 493E; 35mm, 88 ft., 57” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: ??
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, a leading performer of London’s theatre world, was recorded in 4 scenes from Shakespeare’s King John. It was a new role for him, and the film was made just prior to its opening. The Sketch’s H. Chance Newton reported “... [the] writer called upon Mr. Beerbohm Tree ... found that popular actor-manager and his numerous adherents just passing through a most trying ordeal. In other words, Mr. Tree and the whole strength of his company were being ‘biographed’ wholesale, retail, and certainly for exportation, by that shrewd firm which supplies Animated Photographs to this or that amusement resort throughout the United Queendom… It was truly a very quaint experience to see this extensive company ... who will to-night (Wednesday) ... present... ‘King John’ ... Hurrying off clothed in more or less ‘complete steel’ – and in perfect make-up – to the vicinity of the Hotel Cecil, to be snapshotted, as it were, for pictures to be presently shown in all sorts of places in Europe, but especially at the Palace Theatre, London. For the going and coming and the to-ing and fro-ing of the latest King John and his vast retinue a new and picturesque awning had been prepared outside Her Majesty’s Theatre and several ‘Black Marias’ had been chartered for the carrying of the company .... There was also something of humour in the sight of ... hurrying back with the dark-blue-armoured King John Tree at their head, newly escaped from the clutches (and the ‘Kodaks’) of the Animated Photographers. ... the production, which, whatever its other merits may prove to be, will to-night assuredly be hailed as one of the grandest examples of mise-en-scène ever witnessed even at this theatre.” – Paul Spehr
RIFLE HILL SIGNAL STATION NEAR FRERE CAMP (Rifle Hill Outpost) (The British Mutoscope and Biograph Company, GB 1899)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Cox? John Seward?; riprese/filmed: Camp Frere, South Africa, 7.12.1899; AMCo. Production No. 568E; 35mm, ?? ft., ??’ (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.??
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
In the fall of 1899 Dickson was in South Africa filming the campaign to relieve the besieged British at Ladysmith during the Boer War. The huge and very visible camera made it difficult to get near combat, but Dickson seized opportunities to record actions that reflected the activities he and his associates were seeing. As Dickson described this scene in his book The Biograph in Battle: “We again visited the outposts, and managed, not without extreme difficulty, to haul our machine, &c., to the top of Rifle Hill signal station, just in time to catch a message from Colonel Kitchener [Author’s Note: not the General], which was flagged to picket No. 8, the operators kindly waiting until we got the machine in position before they sent the message. The men were watching the enemy below while the signalling was in progress, Captain Bartram being in command of signal and picket. This is a splendid scene, and one of which we are very proud, for we nearly killed ourselves and our horses in our endeavour to get planted in time. .... This is the message which was sent to O.C. No. 8 picket: ‘Have your picket under arms and send out patrol. Kitchener, December 7th.’ It was sent in plain flag, Morse, not code, so that any one who knew Morse could read this message.” – Paul Spehr
OPERATIONS OF RED CROSS AMBULANCES AFTER SPION KOP (Battle of the Upper Tugela) (The British Mutoscope and Biograph Company, GB 1899)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: William Cox? John Seward?; riprese/filmed: Spion Kop, South Africa, 25.1.1900; AMCo. Production No. 591E; 35mm, 48 ft., 30” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source:BFI National Archive, London (3?); Nederlands Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
A dramatic panorama of the valley of the Tugela River, with the British troops trailing home dejectedly after failing to take Spion Kop. The camera is behind a squad of British soldiers in a trench covering the retreat. The 1902 catalogue had this to say: “This is probably as near an actual scene of battle as a camera will ever get in modern warfare. It was taken from the second line of intrenchments [sic] during the battle of the Upper Tugela, in which the British, under General Buller met with defeat at the hands of the Boers. The British lost about 500 men in this engagement, and our picture, taken at the rear of the British fighting line, shows the wounded being brought in on litters, and in ambulances. The scope of the view is very broad, taking in the Tugela with its temporary pontoon bridge, and the reserve force on the opposite bank of the river, and the distant mountains where the Boers are stationed. Spion Kop is prominent among the peaks. Photographically the subject is sharp and clear.”
Dickson, in his book The Biograph in Battle: “The battle rages on with unabated fury; the slaughter on both sides is obliged to be terrible. .... By morning three thousand of our braves had captured the mountain and driven the Boers off. This would have been a triumphant success had they been able to withstand the deadly cross-fire of the enemy ... they soon had to abandon or be utterly annihilated. Some...bitter disappointment.
“We were not long in following with our Cape cart, and ... succeeded in getting a good picture of the Ambulance Corps crossing the Tugela River over a hurriedly spanned pontoon bridge. ....
“The picture has an additional value that in the back-ground is part of the battlefield where Warren’s men fought so gallantly as they advanced towards and up Spion Kop to the right. ... twenty minutes of valuable time had to be sacrificed in order to prove that General Buller’s permission covered our movements. ....” – Paul Spehr
LADYSMITH – GORDON HIGHLANDERS MARCHING OUT TO MEET RELIEF COLUMN (Relief of Ladysmith) (The British Mutoscope and Biograph Company, GB, 1899)
Supv: W.K.L. Dickson; f./ph: [W.K.L. Dickson]; riprese/filmed: Ladysmith, South Africa, 2-3.3.1900; AMCo. Production No. 613E; 35mm, 51 ft., 32” (?? fps); fonte copia/print source: BFI National Archive, London.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Dickson recorded the formal ceremonies for the relief of Ladysmith, where the Gordon Highlanders had been under siege by the Boers since 1 November 1899. (General Buller made an informal entry on the day before.) Dickson was filming under some handicap, as both of his assistants, Cox and Seward, were ill and had been taken back to Durban. An inexperienced assistant had been hired, but Dickson was also succumbing to enteric fever. Dickson (The Biograph in Battle): “...a busy day for all. By 10 a.m. we have secured a Biograph and other pictures of the beleaguered Gordon Highlanders en route from camp to welcome the entrance of the relief column, headed by General Buller and Staff. This is our next picture, but regretfully we must face the sun to secure it. Every facility has been given us by Colonel Scott, in command of the Highlanders, who, with other regiments, line the streets on both sides – our cart be conspicuously a nuisance, from the back of which we took the Bios. The cart had to displace the soldiers, the back reaching out into the street as we had no tripod … this we found impossible to drag over the mountain, and so had left it behind. ... I found standing at my side Winston Churchill. ....” – Paul Spehr
