Londres, Entrée du cinématographe

This Lumiere actuality appears to be just another moment in time film, nothing special happens, people walk by on streets and stuff. But, in truth, I'd say it is the earliest example of self-reflectivity I've seen in cinema.

The film takes place on a street. A theater across the street advertises the Lumiere's moving picture shows. People walk past the camera (one man even stops a moment and stares the camera down for, like, 5 seconds before moving on) and life goes on ordinarily. But, while it's just a simple documentary of a time long gone, the fact that its title and place reflects the very medium used to take this shot makes it the earliest example of self-reflectivity in cinema, if that makes any sense (I'm having difficulty explaining it). You could even call it one of the very first advertising films.

Londres, Entrée du cinématographe (1896)

This here has an interesting title. This Lumiere film once again has the camera set on a street and we see what's going on for about a minute. This actuality film is actually a pretty good one as there's plenty of action going on and this includes several horse-drawn carriages racing by the camera as well as some people just out walking around. I thought it was rather fascinating getting to see the various carriages and I was really curious as to why so many were going so slow while others were speeding along. Things really haven't changed too much over time. There's obviously nothing ground-breaking going on but fans of the genre should enjoy watching this.

"Lumiere Cinematographe" reads the sign on the theater; "Every Evening". Gentlemen exit the theater and walk away. To an old artist, this is a fine example of trompe l'oeil. To a modern, it is perhaps the equivalent of an Andy Warhol self-portrait. To the Lumieres' audience it is a boast and audacious joke: we're Lumiere and we'll be here every night. Drop in and see us. Wear a tall silk hat.

To the modern viewer, the interest is in the details of the street scene: the tall silk hats, the horse-drawn wagons rolling by. There are no unaccompanied women and the men stroll, pleased with the show they have just seen and confident of their place in the world. Who knows what show tomorrow will bring?