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Where we come from
As we watch the films of today, it is great to take a moment and think about where this medium has evolved from.
In the 1890s, the Lumiere brothers were hard at work to make a motion picture camera. Their father was a photographer and working for him, the men were introduced to the medium and the materials. These are the guys who invented the sprocket hole – the holes on the side of the filmstrip that is used by the camera to advance the film across the lens.
The motion picture camera (cinématographe) was patented on 13 February 1895. On the 19th of March, 1895, the Lumiere brothers shot the first film – people coming out of the Lumiere factory. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but all they were trying to do is capture motion on film and it was this first step that helped establish the medium.
They went on to shoot lots of little clips – the first home movie called “Baby’s Tea Time” was a short segment which featured August Lumiere and his wife, Marguerite, feeding their baby son. Again, a very simple idea, but used to demonstrate the medium. When it was shown, the audience was most impressed the camera actually captured the detail of the wind blowing through the leaves several feet away.
They also made the first comedy – of a person watering plants while someone comes up behind him and stands on the pipe, cutting off the water. When the gardener looks at the hose, the comic removes his foot, spraying the gardener on the face.
And they made the famous L’Arrivée d’un train à la Ciotat. This is a very well framed shot of a train pulling into a station. The train emerges onto the screen at the top right corner and exists the frame at the bottom left corner, providing a great angle. Urban legend has it that the audience was freaked out at the train coming at them and ran out of the theater screaming, although no documentation backs up this claim.
These little movies were the first innovations in the field. Just imagine watching all of these on Dec 28, 1895, (almost a 111 years ago to the day) when the brothers screened 10 little movies publicly for the first time!
Note: Originally posted on Tatvam.
9 Responses to “Where we come from”
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a nice little trip down memory lane. :”>
Did you know that the same thing was done in India as well with the train arriving at churchgate station in Mumbai? Here is a chronology of the birth of film in India that I pulled from upperstall.com
1898
Poona Races and Train Arriving at Churchgate Station by Andersonosnoscograph.
1899
H.S. Bhatavdekar (Save Dada) filmed a wrestling match in Hanging Gardens, Bombay - the first Indian Documentary.
1903
Save Dada and American Biograph film Lord Curzon’s Delhi Darbar marking the enthronement of Edward VII.
1912
Two amateurs N.G. Chitre and R.G. Torney attempt a narrative film, about 1500 feet long, of a play - Pundalik.
1913
Dadasaheb Phalke’s “Raja Harishchandra”, 3700 feet long, opens on 21st April to a select audience and opens commercially on 3rd May in
Bombay’s Coronation Cinematograph. He went on to make Mohini Bhasmasur (1913) and Satyavan Savitri (1914).
His best works are considered to be Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janam (1918) and Kaliya Madan (1919).
1915
First South Indian feature - R. Nataraja Mudaliar’s “Gopal Krishna”.
1917
Dadasaheb Phalke makes a short film about filmmaking, “How Films Are Made”.
1920
Baburao’s first film “Sairandhri” Nala Damayanti (1920) starring Patience Cooper, the first ever Indian female film star. An Anglo-Indian from Calcutta, she appeared in many silent films before switching to talkies with comparative ease.
1922
“Ratnavali” - starring Patience Cooper
1923
“Sinhagad” also directed by Baburao Painter proved so popular that it attracted the Revenue Department’s attention to bring about introduction of Entertainment Tax.
“Noorjehan” Starring Patience Cooper
Patni Pratap (1923), Patience Cooper plays perhaps the first ever double roles in Hindi films, where she played two sisters
1924
Kashmiri Sundari (1924), where Patience Cooper played mother and daughter.
1925
Baburao Painter makes the first realistic Indian film “Savakari Pash” dealing with money lending, a problem that blighted the lives of countless illiterate, poor farmers.
Vimla (1925) - Directed by Chandulal Shah
Panch Dadda (1925) also directed by Chandulal Shah
1926
Madhav Kamkundala (1926) directed by Chandulal Shah
Typist Girl (1926) directed by Chandulal Shah, starring Sulochana and Gohar made in 17 days.
1927
“Netaji Palkar” directed by V. Shantaram
Balidaan (1927) starring another female star - Sulochana
Wildcat of Bombay (1927) also starring Sulochana where she essayed eight roles including a gardener, a policeman, a Hyderabadi gentleman, a
street urchin, a banana seller and a European blonde! Three romantic super hits in 1928 - 29 with director R.S. Chaudhari - Madhuri (1928),
Anarkali (1928) and Indira B.A. (1929) saw her at her peak of fame in the silent film era.
Gunsundari (1927) directed by Chandulal Shah. This silent film about a dowdy housewife, who loses her husband to another woman but wins him
back after transforming herself, was a record-breaking success. Shah himself made the film thrice, directing the first two versions in 1927 and 1934 and it was a success each time. Its story has become a staple of Hindi cinema and has been retold several times over the years with
slight variations.
1928
“Karna” directed by Damle and Fatehlal
1931
“Alam Ara” is India’s first sound film.
Shripriya: Good to see you back. Thanx for fetching us this historic piece.
Oh, the power of Internet!
Thanks for the tip, Vijay. Great info. In addition, the Lumiere brothers (or their camera, at least) visited Bombay as well, in 1896.
1896: First ever Motion picture Screening in India at Watson’s Hotel, Bombay on July 7 by the Lumiere Cameraman Maurius Sestier.
Hi Shripriya,good to see you back.still awaiting your post on what you learned at the workshop you attented.great post.
Aah! The video clip is a collector’s item. And so is the website Upperstall.com. The owner is a guy called Karan Bali. He is said to be a living encyclopedia on Hindi cinema. Maybe we should get him on PFC.
shripriya, you’ve been MIA. back with a great post.. loved it!
Hi there
I need help from all you experts :)
My great aunt was Patience Cooper the actress.!1905- 1983
Where can i get a copy of any of her films :-?
Thanks so much
DJ
To DJ French. I was interested to hear that you are related to Patience Cooper as I am too, but a little more distantly. My grandmother was a cousin of Patience, on Patience’s maternal side.
Presuming you’re interested, how do we get in contact without inviting a torrent of spam mail?
Maybe if we both contact the website directly?
PS If you find where to obtain some movies I’d also be interested in getting copies, especially where Patience played double parts, Patni Pratap or Kashmiri Sundari.
Regards,
PF