Die moderne Jungfrau von Orleans

On 1 November 1895, the brothers Max and Emil Skladanowsky presented their pioneer film work and legendary Bioscop program in Berlin′s Wintergarten Theater. With live musical accompaniment, the compilation program included short film sequences with famous artists of the time: Italienischer Bauerntanz, Komisches Reck, Der Jongleur, Das boxende Känguruh, Kamarinskaja, Die Serpentintänzerin, Akrobatisches Potpourri, Ringkampf, and Apotheose, with the Skladanowsky brothers bowing to their audience.

Part of the Wintergartenprogramm.

A man and a kangaroo stand up in front of each other with boxing gloves, and simulate a boxing match on a theatre stage.

Eight circus performers known as the Grunato family perform their famous balancing act.

The two inventors of the Bioskop, a sort of magic lantern that projected images so fast as to give the illusion of movement, bow to the camera at both sides of an empty screen. The scene was shown in continuity, at the end of the session, as if the producers and directors of the session were beading the public a farewell.

Two children, Ploetz and Larella, perform an Italian peasant dance.

Filmed in 1896, this actuality captures everyday life at Alexanderplatz, one of Berlin’s central squares. The camera records crowds of pedestrians crossing the square, streetcars passing through, and horse-drawn vehicles navigating the busy traffic. The film presents a vivid snapshot of Berlin’s modern urban rhythm at the close of the 19th century.