Early British Films from the Filmoteca de Catalunya 1897-1909

Early British Films from the Filmoteca de Catalunya 1897-1909

2023 · 59 min · Documentary, Comedy

A collection of early British Films from the Filmoteca de Catalunya. Films include: Brighton Seagoing Electric Car (1897), The Inexhaustible Cab (1899), From Dalmeny to Dunfermline, Scotland via the Firth of Forth Bridge (series) (1899), Review of Lord George Sanger's Circus by the Queen (series) (1899), Sanger Circus Passing Through Inverness (1900), The “Poly” Paper Chase (1900), The Wintry Alps (series) (1903), An Affair of Honor (1904), Perzina's Troupe of Educated Monkeys (1904), Elephants Bathing in Ceylon River (1904), [Drill of the Reedham Orphans] (c.1904–1912), Venice and the Grand Canal (1901?/1904?), Edge's Motor Boat. The Napier Minor (1904), Fixing the Swing (1904), Eccentric Burglary (1905), Her Morning Dip (1906), Automobile Fête Before King Alfonso and Princess Ena (1906), The Royal Spanish Wedding (series) (1906), Lace Making (1908), The Robber's Ruse, or Foiled by Fido (1909).

Directed by George Albert Smith

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Early British Films from the Filmoteca de Catalunya 1897-1909

Santa Claus

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Grandma Threading Her Needle

Grandma Threading Her Needle · 1900

Grandma Threading Her Needle

An old lady is seated at a table with her work basket and her cat washing its paws beside her. The old lady makes several attempts to thread a needle and a look of triumph appears on her face as she finally succeeds.

Grandma's Reading Glass

Grandma's Reading Glass · 1900

Grandma's Reading Glass

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.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus · 1898

MovieFamilyFantasy

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

The Kiss in the Tunnel

The Kiss in the Tunnel · 1899

The Kiss in the Tunnel

MovieComedyRomance

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.

Let Me Dream Again

Let Me Dream Again · 1900

Let Me Dream Again

MovieRomanceComedy

Possibly the first film to utilize the technique of focus pulling. A man kisses a beautiful and lively woman, then the image blurs and dissolves into a clear image of the man waking up to his nagging wife.

Mary Jane's Mishap

Mary Jane's Mishap · 1903

Mary Jane's Mishap

Mary Jane tries to light the oven. When she's unsuccessful, she plays around, getting black boot polish on her face. She mugs before a mirror. Then, it's back to work. When the stove still won't light, she pours in paraffin, winks at the camera, and lights a match. Kaboom! Is there any rest for the foolish, even in the grave?

Cinderella

Cinderella · 1898

An adaptation of the folk tale.

The Sick Kitten

The Sick Kitten · 1903

The Sick Kitten

A simple scene of two rather flamboyantly-dressed Edwardian children attempting to feed a spoonful of medicine to a sick kitten. The film is important for being one of the earliest films to cut to a close-up, then back again to the same medium shot as before.

The X-Ray Fiend

The X-Ray Fiend · 1897

The X-Ray Fiend

MovieComedyHorror

A romantic couple are transformed into skeletons via X-Rays. The film combines two very recent innovations: Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of X-rays in 1895, and Georges Méliès' accidental realisation of the special-effects potential of the jump-cut in 1896.

Brighton Seagoing Electric Car

Brighton Seagoing Electric Car · 1897

Brighton Seagoing Electric Car

MovieDocumentary

A view taken from Brighton beach on the Channel coast of the transit of Magnus Volk’s amazing seagoing electric railway, long celebrated as one of the world’s more bizarre railway experiments. All aboard for “A Sea Voyage on Wheels!"

As Seen Through a Telescope

As Seen Through a Telescope · 1900

As Seen Through a Telescope

An elderly gentleman in a silk hat sits on a stool in front of a store on the main street of town. He has a telescope that focuses on the ankle of a young woman who is a short distance away. Her husband catches the gent looking. What will the two men do now?

Policeman and Burglar

Policeman and Burglar · 1902

Policeman and Burglar

A bracing fight scene

Train Entering Hove Station

Train Entering Hove Station · 1897

Train Entering Hove Station

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Most movie fans know that the first filmmakers liked to shoot trains entering stations. This example by Sussex film pioneer George Albert Smith illustrates why. The train's rush towards the audience brings movement and visual drama. The flurry of human activity offers plenty for the audience to engage with - who are these people and where are they going? And the time pressure exerted by the fact that the train must soon depart adds narrative tension - will everyone get on and off in time?

Hanging Out the Clothes

Hanging Out the Clothes · 1897

Hanging Out the Clothes

Lovers are comically interrupted

Comic Face

Comic Face · 1897

An old man gets progressively livelier - and drunker - as he downs his bottle of beer. Finally, he cocks a snook - and doesn't bother to uncock it as he continues to drink.

The House That Jack Built

The House That Jack Built · 1900

The House That Jack Built

A cleverly conceived picture of a little boy and girl with building blocks. The little girl has erected a pretty structure, which the boy proceeds to demolish with pokes of his fingers. When the demolition of the house is completed, the film is shown in reverse, and the little building comes back to its original form in a most marvellous manner.

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