GAUMONT Le Cinéma Premier 1897-1913 Volume 1

Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau(es)

Prep and Pep(en)

A boy finds it difficult to live up to his father's reputation at his school.

Italia: Fire and Ashes(it)

The epic and poetic tale of the early years of Italian cinema, from 1896 to 1930: how peplum was born, how the first stars shone, how many daring filmmakers were able to create an original style amalgamating literature, theater, painting and opera; a tale of splendor and decadence.

Premiere Night(da)

When her husband, an aspiring poet, gets his theatrical script rejected, Agnes Holck decides to take matters into her own hands. With the script in hand, she seeks out theatre director Viggo Reyner who takes an interest – not in the play, but in Agnes herself! However, his former favourite actress Lily Werner, doesn’t like being ignored. While the director is working on the seduction of Agnes, she cooks up some sinister revenge plans with fatal consequences. (Stumfilm.dk)

Sweet Black Film: The Birth of the Black Hero in Hollywood(fr)

In 1971, director Melvin Van Peebles turned the figure of the black hero in US cinema upside down with Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: the story of the making of a seminal movie that initiated the Blaxploitation movement, a short-lived but highly influential sub-genre in the years that followed.

The Pictures That Moved: Australian Cinema 1896-1920(en)

Part 1 of the History of Australian Cinema series. Australian cinema from the very beginning, from the newsreels, ethnographic and actuality films, to the controversy of "The Story of the Kelly Gang" and the success of "The Sentimental Bloke".

Tortured Souls(ru)

The Méliès Mystery(fr)

A documentary that details the process of restoring 270 of the 520 lost films of pioneering director Georges Méliès, all orchestrated by a Franco-American collaboration between Lobster Films, the National Film Center, and the Library of Congress.

Daphnis and Chloe(el)

In Lesvos, shepherd Lamonas someday finds an abandoned baby boy suckling a goat and adopts it, and names him Daphnis. Around the same time, another shepherd, Dryantas, finds too an abandoned baby girl and adopts it, naming her Chloe. Daphnis and Chloe grow together and, passing the threshold of puberty feel the buzz of first love. They do not know yet what is happening to them, until a beautiful woman who desires Daphnis, initiates him into the secrets of love. Daphnis in turn initiates Chloe, too. In the meantime, it is revealed that Daphnis is the son of Lord Dionysiofani, and Chloe daughter of a ruler of the island, Megacles.

Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie(en)

The story of the abandoned production of 'Day of the Champion', a movie about Formula 1 which was set to film in 1966.

Bernard Blier, façon puzzle(fr)

In a career spanning more than half a century, Bernard Blier has shot more than 180 films. He alone represents a history of French cinema without having spent his time cultivating its legend. He crossed his century as an actor with the modesty of a craftsman. He believed in learning, know-how and transmission. He considered himself, like the butcher or the cabinetmaker, as a man useful to his fellow men. Bernard Blier found in Louis Jouvet, who was his teacher at the Conservatory, a master at playing, a mentor and even a spiritual father. Jouvet taught Blier the love of acting, theater and Molière. And if he knew how to take hold of Michel Audiard's best tirades like no one else, notably those of the "Tontons Flingueurs", it is to this apprenticeship that he owes it.

The Hungarian Nabob(en)

After Count John Karpathy, belovedly known as the Nabob, falls ill while entertaining the peasants of his estate, his dissolute nephew and sole heir, Count Bela, comes home from Paris to acquire his inheritance. The Nabob recovers and, after hearing Bela's plan to squander the money, resolves not to give Bela anything while he lives.

Peeping Tom(en)

A man peeping through a keyhole at an attractive young woman gets his comeuppance. This film, presumed lost, is often mistaken for Ferdinand Zecca's "What Is Seen Through a Keyhole" (1901).

The Blot(en)

Professor Griggs, teaching at the college, doesn't get paid a living wage; his next door neighbor, successful shoemaker Olsen, has money and plentiful food, while the Griggses have hardly any. When the professor's rich student Phil West falls for beautiful Griggs daughter Amelia and also befriends the poor Reverend Gates (a young man who is also in love with Amelia), he observes the difference in his life and theirs and tries to help make a difference.

Kodachrome Two-Color Test Shots No. III(en)

This two-color (green-blue and red) film was produced as a demonstration reel at the Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, under the direction of Kodak scientist John Capstaff. It features leading actresses, including Mae Murray, Hope Hampton, and Mary Eaton, posing and miming for the camera to showcase the capability of the complex Kodachrome process to capture their translucent movie star complexions and colorful, high-fashion clothing.

Reel Stories: An Oral History of London's Projectionists(en)

Documentary charting the experiences of projectionists who work or worked in cinemas in London, exploring the skills and dedication required for this unique role, set against changes in technology, society, and entertainment.

Maria of the Sea(pt)

Falacha is the captain of a fishing boat, who loses his men in a shipwreck. Among them was the husband of Aurélia, who holds Falacha responsible for the tragedy. Maria, Falacha's daughter, falls in love with Manuel, Aurélia's son, a situation that their mothers refuse to accept.

The Cursed Village(es)

Region of Castilla La Vieja, Spain, early 20th century. In Luján, a village ravaged by drought, Juan, a humble farmer who survives with his wife and son, confronts a local loan shark and is imprisoned as a result.

Mechanical Principles(en)

Close up we see pistons move up and down or side to side. Pendulums sway, the small parts of machinery move. Gears drive larger wheels. Gears within gears spin. Shafts turn some mechanism that is out of sight. Screws revolve and move other gears; a bit rotates. More subtle mechanisms move other mechanical parts for unknown purposes. Weights rise and fall. The movements, underscored by sound, are rhythmic. Circles, squares, rods, and teeth are in constant and sometimes asymmetrical motion. These human-made mechanical bits seem benign and reassuring.

Fickle Women(en)