L'assassinat du duc de Guise

As a movie, "Assassination" is interesting, because it's early, but not very entertaining.

Except for the king, it's rather well acted and and directed and photographed, for 1908.

But one problem: I have not been able to find a print with the original -- or any -- soundtrack.

Again, it's great history, since that original soundtrack is by Charles Camille Saint-Saens (one of my favorite composers). The soundtrack is available by several performers on YouTube, but no one has, at least to my knowledge, merged the sound with the picture.

I do, though, recommend this short movie to students of motion pictures.

"My best memory of the cinema? The sensation given me twelve years ago by a marvelous film, L'assasinat du duc de Guise. It was a complete revelation. If only your compatriots had been able to continue producing such films they would today be the first and foremost film makers in the world." This is a quote from D.W. Griffith to Robert Florey concerning this 1908 French film produced by Film d'Art and distributed by Pathé Freres. And he wasn't the only one, Carl Dreyer was also a fan. Personally, I don't see it. To my eye it looks like the typical tableau one reeler from the era of big gestures from the actors and a stationary camera from the producers.

The first movie with an original musical score was Le Film d'Art Studio's "The Assassination of the Duke of Guise," first played in front of a Parisan audience in November 1908. (Technically, the very first original film score to be documented was played with a movie shown during a play/stage show called "The Fairylogue and Radio-Play," in September 1908. That movie, considered lost, was the first to bring L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books to the theatre.)

Concerning "L'Assassinat du duc de Guise," French classical composer Camille de Saint-Saens' music was played on a phonograph, accompanying the silent film. When the movie was brought to the United States early in 1909, Nickelodeons had no way of fully capturing the soundtrack since amplification of sound was not advanced enough for the music to be clearly heard throughout the theaters.

Consistent with France's Film d'Art Studio's philosophy, the film d'art's purpose was to hire the best Parisian actors for historical or famous literary/dramatic works using well-known writers to script the plots in elaborate settings. "Assassination's" storyline was written by famous writer Henri Lavedan depicting the 1588 murder of a main rival to the Queen of France. The movie itself was filmed inside the studio and is rather stagey, consisting of a mere nine shots. "Assassination" stands in stark contrast to another film d'art French film, "L'Arlesienne," released just the previous month. Pathe Studios, knowing its French rival was embarking on an aesthetically new cinematic path, began its own production using professional actors and writers, filming in front of actual scenic backdrops. The 43 shots quickened the excitement in "L'Arlesienne," presenting an entirely new and different pacing and look to cinema.

Ok, I must say I write this review after a systematic approach. In the last weeks I've rewatched 180 films made before 1908 (more or less in order). Then I started this one, unaware about that I was about to watch one of the first Film d'Art. In my opinion it's really worth the name!

From modern standards it's difficult to appreciate, but it really feels great for its time. Méliès and Chomón did great "filmed theater" years before, and Williamson surprised me by his cinematic eye, much more advanced than their theatrical approach. Griffith, Fitzhamon, Zecca, Smith,... they all were slowly mastering the medium and building up the craft. But they were still producing for the audiences that attended vaudeville theaters and nickelodeons. In this film Calmettes borrows their craft and forges something for a "higher" audience, the ones used to the more refined western theater tradition.

Technically it feels like an average 1908 movie, leaning rather towards the theater side. The plot isn't the most interesting one (especially for non-french viewers) although it's pretty good for its time. But the visual flow and the performances of the actors are brilliant. Much, much better than most of any previous film I could find yet. And of course, nowadays it can't be compared with better films that were to come. However, in my opinion, is one of the first examples of the seventh art. And it's definitely a worthy title to watch for those who already have a trained eye on very early cinema.

Typical epic movie of this time, but one of the first great production in history: famous actors from the Comedie Française and one of the best theater director, André Calmette.

The setting is fine and rich for the time but the interpretation is a little pathetic and updated.

L'assassinat du Duc de Guise is above all a rarity because of the composer: it was the first and only music composed by very famous classic composer Camille Saint Saens.