Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory
Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.
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The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.
Baby's Meal
A father, a mother and a baby are sitting at a table, on a patio outside. Dad is feeding Baby her lunch, while Mum is serving tea.
The Sprinkler Sprinkled
A gardener is watering his flowers, when a mischievous boy sneaks up behind his back, and puts a foot on the water hose. The gardener is surprised and looks into the nozzle to find out why the water has stopped coming. The boy then lifts his foot from the hose, whereby the water squirts up in the gardener's face. The gardener chases the boy, grips his ear and slaps him in his buttocks. The boy then runs away and the gardener continues his watering. Three separate versions of this film exist, this is the original, filmed by Louis Lumière.
The Photographical Congress Arrives in Lyon
Down the gangway, photographers leave the deck of a riverboat in large numbers.
A Nightmare
A man has a fantastical nightmare involving, among other things, a grinning malevolent moon.
The Docks of New York
A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.
Horse Trick Riders
In the background is a house. In the foreground, a groom holds the reins of a sleek black horse that stands in profile. A tall man, dressed in a black uniform, demonstrates how to mount the horse then encourages and tries to assist a man in white. The man in white keeps falling, and soon it's apparent that he's an putting on a show. His pratfalls become more elaborate and stylish. The horse stands patient. The little groom laughs to see such sport. And finally, the man in white finds a comic accommodation. The story, though brief, has a beginning, middle, and end.
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.
Man Walking Around a Corner
The last remaining production of Le Prince's LPCC Type-16 (16-lens camera) is part of a gelatine film shot in 32 images/second, and pictures a man walking around a corner. Le Prince, who was in Leeds (UK) at that time, sent these images to his wife in New York City in a letter dated 18 August 1887.
Playing Cards
Three friends are playing cards in a beer garden. One of them orders drinks. The waitress comes back with a bottle of wine and three glasses on a tray. The man serves his friends. They clink glasses and drink. Then the man asks for a newspaper. He reads a funny story in it and the three friends burst out laughing while the waitress merely smiles.
Piggy
Sara is an overweight teen who lives in the shadow of a clique of cool girls holidaying in her village. Not even her childhood friend, Claudia, defends her when she's bullied at the local pool in front of an unknown man. Her clothes are stolen and Sara must get home wearing nothing but her bikini.
Line 9
In a city with constant movement like the subway rides, the paths of Andrés and Miguel are crossing. It seems like the beginning of a new Romance but Andrés doesn't know which direction to take.
Otto – The Alien from East Frisia
Otto is the only one who is able to save his Frisian fatherland; but he needs the help of his brother, who is abroad. But his brother does not want to fulfill what he has sworn as a child. So it takes Otto a while to convince him while time is running low for his plans to save East-Frisia.
Performing Animals; or, Skipping Dogs
A short black-and-white silent documentary film featuring one dog jumping through hoops and another dancing in a costume, which was considered lost until footage from an 1896 Fairground Programme was identified as being from this film.
La lupa
She was tall, dark and thin, with a proud and voluptuous bust. They called her "The she-wolf" because she seemed never to be satisfied. All the men were obsessed with her but one day the she-wolf fell madly in love with young Nanni.
Course en sacs
Several competitors take part in a friendly sack race, with widely varying degrees of success.
Transformation by Hats
Félicien Trewey uses a basic prop to create comical hats and their accompanying caricatures.
Gentleman's Agreement
A magazine writer poses as a Jew to expose anti-Semitism.
Roundhay Garden Scene
The earliest surviving celluloid film, and believed to be the second moving picture ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), possibly on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince's son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince's mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. The Roundhay Garden Scene was recorded at 12 frames per second and runs for 2.11 seconds.
Zygote
The two remaining crew members of a mining operation in the Arctic Circle fight to survive against an alien creature.