Title Unseen cinema. 7, Viva la dance. Episode 2, Dance, work, play 1894-99 / Cineric, Inc. presents ; by W.L.K. Dickson, William Heise, James White for Edison Manufacturing Co. and American Mutoscope and Biograph Co

Published [United States] : Filmmakers Showcase, [1898]

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Description 1 online resource (6 min.) : silent Summary VIVA LA DANCE is part of the film retrospective UNSEEN CINEMA that explores long-forgotten American experimental cinema. These brief glimpses were some of the first images captured in America to show us the world in motion. They were viewed one at-a-time through a peephole viewer known as the Kinetoscope machine designed by Thomas Edison for singular viewing. Additionally, the Biograph camera was soon developed, and eventually movie projectors would enlarge the moving picture spectacles onto larger screens for vastly larger audiences. --BRUCE POSNER. Annabelle's skirt dances are among the earliest artistic works in film history. Looking directly at us, she turns, crouches, extends her arms, and carves the space of the frame with the multi-hued drapes attached to wands in her hands. There are no edits, no camera movements, just a graceful kinetic invocation."--ROBERT A. HALLER. Annabelle Whitford Moore, one of the first film stars, made her debut at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. She was a featured performer on Broadway when Dickson filmed her in 1894. Her Serpentine and Butterfly Dances were so popular that Dickson filmed her again for the American Mutoscope in 1896. --PAUL SPEHR. William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, best known as Edison's assistant in developing the Kinetoscope and Kinetograph, was an important and influential filmmaker. Perhaps Dickson was the only filmmaker to make films with a camera and a film format (35mm) of his design, in a film studio (Black Maria) that he also designed. He established film production for Edison (1891-1895), American Mutoscope (1896-1897), and British Mutoscope (1897-1903). Working as the director and with assistants such as Heise and Bitzer, he produced more than five hundred films, many of them among the most memorable of the era. --PAUL SPEHR. James White, a technician working for Raff Gammon, the distributor for Edison's Kinetoscope, was hired by Edison's business manager William Gilmore. At Edison Manufacturing, he supervised film production, a position he held until 1903 when he was sent to England to manage Edison's film business there. --PAUL SPEHR. Willaim Heise, Dickson's assistant during experiments on the Kinetophone, was trained in photography and operated the camera for the early productions in Edison's Black Maria (1893-1895). When Dickson left Edison in April 1895, Heise stayed and filmed a number of productions with James White. Heise took over direction in October 1896. --PAUL SPEHR. Edison Manufacturing Co., formed to market products invented by Thomas Edison, handled his motion picture and closely related phonograph business. In 1896, as the Kinetoscope business faltered, Edison appointed William Gilmore to manage the company. Gilmore took distribution out of the hands of independents like Raff Gammon and Maguire Baucus. Then Edison began a series of lawsuits to repress competitors. Patent suits dominated the American film market prior to W.W.I and kept Edison the predominant American film company during much of this period. Until recently, aesthetic advancements made by Edison's filmmakers have been overshadowed by accounts of the legal wrangling. -PAUL SPEHR / BRUCE POSNER. THE KINETOSCOPE: DANCE WORK PLAY (1893-1898) - 12 FILM COMPILATION 137 00:00 ELLA LOLA, A LA TRILBY (1898, 31 seconds) 138 01:15; ANNABELLE BUTTERFLY DANCE #1 (1894, 20 seconds) 139 01:35; ANNABELLE BUTTERFLY DANCE #3 (1895, 25 seconds) 140 02:00; SERPENTINE DANCE BY ANNABELLE (1896, 23 seconds) 141 02:23; ANNABELLE SERPENTINE DANCE #1 (1894 color tint, 14 seconds) 142 02:37; [CRISSIE SHERIDAN SERPENTINE DANCE x 2] (1897, 32 seconds) 143 03:09; SERPENTINE DANCE #4 (1897 color tint, 48 seconds) 144 03:57; BLACKSMITHING SCENE (1893, 27 seconds) 145 04:24; SANDOW, NO. 1 (1894, 27 seconds) 146 04:51; THE BARBER SHOP (1893, 22 seconds) 147 05:13; COCK FIGHT (1894, 17 seconds) 148 05:30; HORNBACKER-MURPHY FIGHT (1894, 17 seconds). 35mm 1.33:1 black and white color tint silent 30-40fps, 5:55 minutes. Production: Edison Manufacturing Co Notes Title from resource description page (viewed July 23, 2020) "The beginnings of ciné-dance" "Early American avant-garde film, 1893-1941." Performer Dancers: Annabelle Moore, Ella Lola Notes Silent Subject Modern dance -- United States Skirt dancing -- United States Dance in motion pictures, television, etc. -- United States -- History Work in motion pictures -- History Experimental films -- United States Motion pictures -- United States. Dance in motion pictures, television, etc. Experimental films Modern dance Motion pictures Skirt dancing Work in motion pictures United States Genre/Form Experimental films Filmed dance History Short films Silent films Short films. Silent films. Experimental films. Filmed dance. Courts métrages. Films muets. Films expérimentaux. Danse filmée. Form Streaming video Author Dickson, W. K.-L. (William Kennedy-Laurie), 1860-1935, director. White, James H. (James Henry), director. Heise, William, director Lola, Ella, dancer Moore, Annabelle, 1878-1961, dancer. Thomas A. Edison, Inc., production company. American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, production company. Cineric (Firm), presenter.

Other Titles Ella lola, a la trilby (1898), the kinetoscope : dance work play (1893-1898) : [12-film compilation] Viva la dance : the beginnings of ciné-dance Unseen cinema : early American avant-garde film, 1893-1941

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