Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2006 Sommario / Contents

Arrest ofa Pickpocket.
(National Fairground Archive)
Robert Paul and Birt Acres, Arrest of a Pickpocket was filmed shortly after
Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race (30 March 1895), and is
now the earliest British film known to survive. Crime was a popular subject
and commercial proposition for the early film pioneers, and one which both
Paul and Acres would return to later in their careers. Penny novels,
sensational stage plays, and waxworks shows all presented crime narratives,
which continued to be repackaged and reconstructed throughout the
Victorian era. – VANESSA TOULMIN
BOXING KANGAROO (Paul/Acres, GB, May/June 1895)
35mm, 35 ft., 35”-40” (14-16 fps), National Fairground Archive,
Sheffield.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Filmato su quello che sembra essere un piccolo palco in legno, il film
mostra un incontro di boxe tra un giovane ed un canguro, arbitrato
probabilmente dall’addestratore dell’animale o da uno showman, che
appare alla sinistra dei pugili. I canguri boxeur, un popolare numero
da music-hall ed un’attrazione delle fiere dell’epoca, vennero filmati
in seguito anche da altri. Non viene mostrata nessuna effettiva
conclusione dell’incontro, ma, in linea con la Edison Kinetoscope,
Paul e Acres sembrano riprendere numeri di varietà già popolari od
affermati come parte del loro repertorio. – VANESSA TOULMIN
Filmed on what appears to be a small wooden stage, this film shows a
boxing bout between a youth and a kangaroo refereed by possibly the
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animal’s trainer or a showman, who appears to the left of the pugilists.
Boxing kangaroos were a popular music-hall act and fairground
attraction at this time, and were also filmed at a later date by other
cinematographers. No actual conclusion to the contest is shown, but in
line with the Edison Kinetoscope, Paul and Acres appear to be filming
already prominent or recognized variety acts as part of their repertoire.
VANESSA TOULMIN
[PERFORMING ANIMALS] / [SKIPPING DOGS (?)]
(Paul/Acres, GB, May/June 1895)
35mm, 37 ft., 37”-42” (14-16 fps), National Fairground Archive,
Sheffield. Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Questo titolo, in precedenza sconosciuto, consiste di due numeri con
animali filmati sullo stesso palco delle pellicole precedenti. La prima
sequenza mostra un cane che salta attraverso un cerchio tenuto da un
addestratore di animali o showman. La seconda presenta
probabilmente uno dei primissimi omaggi cinematografici alla Danza
della gonna, con uno scimpanzé o comunque una scimmia che la
esegue con l’aiuto del suo addestratore.– VANESSA TOULMIN
This previously unknown title consists of two animal acts filmed on the
same stage as the previous titles.The first sequence shows a dog jumping
through a hoop held by an animal trainer or showman. The second
sequence shows possibly one of the earliest tributes to the Skirt Dance on
film, with a chimpanzee or monkey performing the dance with the aid of
its trainer. – VANESSA TOULMIN
Tre degli ultimi quattro film britannici nella Williams Family
Collection hanno soltanto titoli provvisori, in quanto non sono stati
totalmente identificati. Di due rimangono solo frammenti, [Family
Group] e The Launch of the HMS Albion, at Blackwell, identificato di
recente. Gli altri due film sono completi, probabilmente risalenti al
1896, e hanno ricevuto titoli provvisori e date legate al lavoro di
Acres. / Three of the last four British films in the Williams Family
Collection have only provisional titles, as they have not yet been fully
identified. Only fragments survive of two, [Family Group] and the recently
identified The Launch of the HMS Albion, at Blackwell.The other two
films are complete, probably date from 1896, and have been assigned
provisional titles and dates associated with Acres. – VANESSA TOULMIN
[FAMILY GROUP] (Birt Acres, GB, July 1895?)
35mm, 5 ft., 5”-6” (14-16 fps), National Fairground Archive, Sheffield.
Senza didascalie / No intertitles.
Di questo film su un gruppo di famiglia si sono conservati solo
frammenti. Si ritiene che la pellicola, che mostra alcuni fotogrammi
di un gruppo familiare, forse membri della famiglia di Birt Acres o di
Melbourne Cooper, risalga al luglio 1895. / Only fragments of this film
of a family group have survived. The film is believed to date from July
1895, and shows a few frames of a family group, possibly members of Birt
Acres’ or Melbourne Cooper’s family. – VANESSA TOULMIN
INCUNABULA