The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat 1896

7.10

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.

1896

The Haunted Castle

The Haunted Castle 1896

6.45

In a medieval castle, a dark magician thought to be Mephistopheles conjures up a series of bizarre creatures and events in order to torment a pair of interloping cavaliers.

1896

The Vanishing Lady

The Vanishing Lady 1896

6.21

Georges Méliès makes a woman disappear, then reappear.

1896

The Kiss

The Kiss 1896

5.22

They get ready to kiss, begin to kiss, and kiss in a way that brings down the house every time.

1896

The Cabbage-Patch Fairy

The Cabbage-Patch Fairy 1896

5.20

A brief fantasy tale involving a strange fairy who can produce and deliver babies coming out of cabbages. This film is lost or never existed. Copies of it online are actually the 1900 remake.

1896

Demolition of a Wall

Demolition of a Wall 1896

6.30

Auguste Lumière directs four workers in the demolition of an old wall at the Lumière factory. One worker is pressing the wall inwards with a jackscrew, while another is pushing it with a pick. When the wall hits the ground, a cloud of white dust whirls up. Three workers continue the demolition of the wall with picks.

1896

A Nightmare

A Nightmare 1896

6.00

A man has a fantastical nightmare involving, among other things, a grinning malevolent moon.

1896

A Terrible Night

A Terrible Night 1896

5.09

A man tries to get a good night's sleep, but is disturbed by a giant spider that leaps onto his bed, and a battle ensues in hilarious comic fashion.

1896

Playing Cards

Playing Cards 1896

4.85

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.

1896

Game of Cards

Game of Cards 1896

5.60

Three men are sitting around a table, two of them playing a game of Écarté. When the game is over, a domestic serves drinks.

1896

Hyde Park Corner

Hyde Park Corner 1896

5.00

Film made at Hyde Park Corner in 1896 by an unknown filmmaker. It looks south west across Grosvenor Place. The southern wing of St George's Hospital (today the Lanesborough Hotel) can be seen on the right of the picture. The road stretching away in the centre of the picture is Grosvenor Crescent. The busy two way horsedrawn traffic movement is seen on what would today be Grosvenor Place and Apsley Way (the road layout now is different to 1896). The approximate camera position would be today on Apsley Way, just east of the Royal Artillery Memorial. Not to be confused with another Hyde Park Corner film by British Pathé made in the same year but with a different view. (That film looks north towards the triumphal arch at the corner of Hyde Park next to Apsley House.)

1896

Sandow

Sandow 1896

5.20

Strong-man Eugene Sandow flexes his muscles and strikes a few poses in front of a black background. This was a short film shot by William K.L. Dickson for the American Mutoscope Company and is not the 1894 Edison film shot at the Black Maria.

1896

The Mechanical Butcher

The Mechanical Butcher 1896

5.70

A butcher puts a full-grown live pig into his large box-like machine. Moments later, he draws out a full range of pork products, many already packaged for sale.

1896

Serpentine Dances by Annabelle

Serpentine Dances by Annabelle 1896

5.30

Annabelle (Whitford) Moore performs her popular serpentine dance routine. She twirls around, and as she does so, she uses her long skirts to create a variety of patterns. Each print consists of Annabelle's serpentine dance from 1894-1897.

1896

Exit of Rip and the Dwarf

Exit of Rip and the Dwarf 1896

4.17

A series of short black and white films from director William K.L. Dickson which chronicle the adventures of Rip Van Winkle.

1896