Lumiere Brothers

Lumiere Brothers

A documentary usually captures the truth on camera. Louis and Auguste Lumiere projected the first film for a paying audience in March 1895 called Workers leaving the factory. Then later on the brothers screened ten films. Their films showed events in their everyday life and of their children.

Throughout the filming of this documentary the voice over of Bertard Travanier is heard. At the beginning the film looks similar to a slide show, a series of photographs with smooth transitions dissolves and fade-ins show a smoother presentation than a slide show.

As Bertard speaks of the brothers and the effects of editing you are able to see there is no editing, just scenes of people walking. Since the cinematographe could only film 50 seconds after being cranked up every time that the 50 seconds is up you are able to actually see it the break in the film.

I think the Lumiere films are so interesting because you witness the Lumiere’s home life but in a way that exposes the different aspects of film they were trying to explore. My favorite was when the little girl was learning to walk and you are able to see this big crack in the sidewalk ahead of her. They called it the first suspense movie and it is so humorous because it is true. As the little girl is walking I am wondering if she is going to fall or if the person behind her will catch her, SUSPENSE. In the end she falls.

One of the so-called “masterpieces” was first shown, the pulling up of the train at the train station. The train is coming at a diagonal so it looks as if the train is going to speed right through the screen. It was rumored that people were scared and ran( Martin Nov5). Nowadays, that would seem ridiculous but back then I could see how it could scare them.

In one segment where the Lumiere Brothers are knocking down a wall they accidently discovered what would occur if the film was rewound and Louis decided to use this in his movie.