Year: 1895
Director(s): Lumiere Brothers
Country: France
Language: N/A
In 1895, French cinema pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière screened the first film they ever made. It was a 46 second long, continuous shot that was taken from a single fixed position. The film was called Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon). It was filmed by means of the Cinématographe, an all-in-one camera, which also serves as a film projector and developer. It was first shown in Paris, alone with nine other short pictures.
The film consists of a single scene in which workers leave the Lumière factory. The workers are mostly female who exit the large building 25 Rue St. Victor, Montplaisir on the outskirts of Lyon, France.
Audiences of the time were spellbound by these seemingly simple images and the technology of film itself. They had never seen moving photographs before, thus cinema began as a state of spectacle and amusement. The Lumiere Brothers caught the interests of many creative minds, like Georges Melies, who would go on to further enhance the art through special effects and onscreen magic.
The Lumiere Brothers' first short would be an indication of their entire career. They were fascinated by documentary, and by the following year they had sent employees throughout the world to film the many exotic locations. That year they would also travel with their primitive documentaries to major cities, like New York, London and Montreal, to bring this small slice of cinema to the public.
As a historical document Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory is a treasure that should be shown to the public until the end of human civilization. It's not that entertaining, but that can be forgiven because it's the FIRST film! We owe the Lumiere brothers a great deal of gratitude.
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