All Films

Rip Passing Over the Mountain

1896 • 1 min

Donkeys

1896 • 1 min • Algeria, France

An early Algerian film depicting donkeys

Mess Call

1896 • 1 min • United States of America

Members of the New York state militia enjoy some relaxing time during a meal break.

A Nightmare

1896 • 1 min • France

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

Mounted Police Charge

1896 • 1 min • United States of America

"A battalion of New York's famous mounted police at inspection. They approach at break-neck gallop." - from the Edison Catalog

Jongleur javanais

1896 • 1 min • France

Stuttgart: 26th Dragoons Jumping Obstacles

1896 • 1 min • Germany

Filmed in Stuttgart in 1896, this Lumière actuality shows cavalrymen of the 26th Dragoons regiment leaping their horses over a low obstacle during training exercises. Part of a short series of military views shot in Germany, the film captures the precision and discipline of the mounted unit in motion.

The Morning Alarm

1896 • 1 min • United States of America

“This shows the Fire Department leaving headquarters for an early morning fire. The scene is remarkable for its natural effect. The opening of the engine house doors, the prancing of the horses, and even the startled expression upon the faces of the spectators are all clearly depicted.” -Edison Films, 1897. 150 ft. strip, filmed December 25, 1896 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Lion, London Zoological Gardens

1896 • 1 min • France

A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.

Pont de bateaux

1896 • 1 min • France

A crowd of passers-by is granted access to a drawbridge by its gatekeeper.

Tigers at the Zoo

1896 • 1 min • France

Teasing tigers with meat.

Arab Market

1896 • 1 min • France

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

1896 • 1 min • France

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.

Marché

1896 • 1 min • France

Passers-by on a street market in Marseille.

Le manoir du diable

1896 • 4 min • France

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.

Les souverains et les invités se rendant au sacre (escalier rouge)

1896 • 1 min • France

Sovereign Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna and their suite slowly walk down a staircase, preceded by a company of cuirassiers.

Arab Cortege, Geneva

1896 • 1 min • France, Switzerland

A stationary camera looks across a busy corner toward a store front marked "The Divan." The words "des fees" are beneath. A cortege of Arabs, about 20 persons in the party, walk past; the dignitaries are in front, attended by men with horns and drums. Coming in the other direction are local Swiss, who pay little attention, and a group of native-garbed Africans. The dozen or so well-dressed denizens of Geneva who are sitting on the steps of the Divan take it all in.

American Falls from Goat Island

1896 • 1 min • United States of America

The first movie audiences took particular delight in scenes of rushing, churning water. These scenes of Niagara Falls were taken in September 1896, while Dickson and Bitzer were filming McKinley and the Empire State Express.

The Cabbage-Patch Fairy

1896 • 1 min • France

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.

Tsar and Tsarina Entering the Church of the Assumption

1896 • 1 min • France

Filmed during the coronation ceremonies of Nicholas II in Moscow in 1896, this short by Lumière operator Francis Doublier shows the imperial procession approaching the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin. As the crowd advances, a company of guards escorts the imperial dais while the Tsar and Tsarina make their way into the church. An early actuality offering rare moving-image documentation of a major royal ritual.

Sea Beach Scene

1896 • 1 min • United States of America

Some men are playing a game on the beach, while some ladies with their backs to the cameras watch. A donkey cart ambles by.

Niagara Falls

1896 • 1 min • France

A stationary camera looks west across Niagara Falls from the United States' side (the Niagara River rushes toward the falls from right to left). Virtually overlooking the falls and surrounded by the swift current not far from the camera is a small island where six or eight tourists watch the water, talk, and move about.

Scenes at Balmoral

1896 • 1 min • United Kingdom

Queen Victoria and family experience the new 'cinematograph process'.

Passaic Falls, New Jersey

1896 • 1 min

A look at the waterfalls of the Passaic River in the northern New Jersey city of Passaic.