The Puppet Looks for Lodgement

The Puppet Looks for Lodgement 1921

4.50

The stick man Fantoche is looking for a home, but there doesn't seem to be any room anywhere, not even in Hell.

1921

Small Local Trains

Small Local Trains 1960

6.60

Émile Durand, an insecticide manufacturer, is appalled to learn that his son Gérard has fallen in love with Suzy, the daughter of a travelling theatre company. Realising his father will never favour the union, Gérard joins the company on their next tour. In an attempt to heal the rift, Durand’s wife goes after Gérard and ends up performing in their next play…

1960

Zigomar the Eelskin

Zigomar the Eelskin 1911

1

A sensational detective story, founded on the romance of Leon Sazie. The noted criminal who terrorized all Europe is shown in these three Zigomar reels in a dramatic and intense struggle for supremacy with Paulin Broquet, the celebrated detective, who takes the two in the most varied and finest resorts.

1911

The Last Pardon

The Last Pardon 1913

1

No plot available. The director Maurice Tourneur perceived this film to be indicative of the advances French cinema could have taken had it not been derailed by World War I.

1913

Dr. Goudron's System

Dr. Goudron's System 1913

6.00

A visitor to an insane asylum realises that the inmates have taken control.

1913

Chicot the Jester

Chicot the Jester 1913

1

The film based on the novel of the same name by Alexandre Duma, is concerned with fraternal royal strife at the court of Henri III. Tragically caught between the millstones of history are the gallant Count de Bussy and the woman he adores, la Dame de Monsoreau.

1913

Mothers of France

Mothers of France 1916

4.70

A mother loses first her son and then her husband in the trenches of France during the First World War. She devotes herself to the French cause and to helping those wounded in the war.

1916

Protéa

Protéa 1913

4.80

Protéa is the last film directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, one of the early film pioneers in France. The hero of this film is a female spy, an acrobatic Mata-Hari, played by his favorite actress, Josette Andriot, who wore a characteristic costume of a close-fitting black jersey, two years before Musidora achieved cult status with her similar appearance as Irma Vep. This final masterpiece reflects Jasset's popular style: rhythmic action, fantastic realism, rich visuals, an anarchistic philosophy, a disdain for psychology, and an attention to lighting that earned him the nickname “the Rembrandt of the cinema". Although Jasset died shortly after completion, the film had considerable success and Andriot went on to make four more films in the series with other directors.

1913

The Amblystona

The Amblystona 1913

6.50

"The Amblystoma: Curious Salamander From Mexico". Vintage French educational film from 1913 describing the Axolotl. Very impressive footage for the time.

1913

Shepherdess of Ivry

Shepherdess of Ivry 1913

5.70

Hortense Fauvel, the wife of a village postmaster, takes Aimée, a young shepherdess, under her wing. Aimée soon becomes engaged to François, the Fauvel’s loyal servant. At a fête hosted by the Count of Granval, Aimée gives her fiancé a knife, telling him that he should kill her if ever she ceases to be faithful to him. That same day, the Count is planning to have an amorous liaison with Hortense, but Aimée intervenes. To save her mistress from a scandal, Aimée tells the postmaster that it is she, not Hortense, who has been seeing the Count. Disgraced, Aimée is dismissed by the postmaster. François contemplates his revenge and recalls what Aimée said to him.

1913

Dog and Wolf

Dog and Wolf 1911

1

An old surgeon shows kindness to a tramp.

1911