Year: 1911
Country: France
Language: French
One of the great pioneers of technically and commercially successful synchronized sound was Leon Gaumont, an engineer who also ran the studio bearing his name. Gaumont built upon the work of earlier film-makers to create a more viable method of doing sound shorts in the early silent period. Thanks to microphone technology, the sound was recorded live with the action, no lip-syncing necessary
Legende du roi Gambrinus takes a traditional approach to its main character. Gambrinus is bearded, portly, jolly and drunk. He is both king and beer inventor. This short film is about him.
Legende du roi Gambrinus was one of many short musicals released by Gaumont until 1917. The sound is clear, the actors are enthusiastic and the color, perhaps applied by stencil, is remarkable for its time. It's a very merry and drunken picture that would have presented quite a joyous occasion for 1917 audiences.
While clearly an older recording, the cast of Legende du roi Gambrinus sounds excellent. Other sound of the same era was squeaky and disjointed. Watch some other "sound" shorts of the 1910's and you'll understand what I mean. Unfortunately due to World War One the French film industry was hit hard and would take a while to recover. The great global chaos meant this technology would be largely abandoned for another decade.
An enjoyable time, Grambinus works as both entertainment and as a venture into film history. It is a rather important film that should not be forgotten. Gaumont studios was rather exceptional, this is just one example of many of their accomplishments.
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