Early 35mm Nitrate Film. Pathé, 1909. 17th Century Period Drama.

Something quite exciting to share, and the earliest film I have found so far. This one came from a small group of 35mm nitrate rolls from a junk market in Stuttgart, Germany. This is an early French film, with the stamped lettering along the edge indicating the year of manufacture for the film stock as 1909, as well as black writing forbidding exhibition in France, Switzerland and Belgium: effectively making this film print for export only, hence explaining its presence in Germany. The edge date code also includes the address of Pathé at the time: 14 Rue Favart Paris.

The fragment itself is in immaculate condition, and has a lovely dark yellow tint, all painted on by hand, such as was common in the early days of cinema, showing that the Silent era wasn't just black and white.

The differences between this film and later Hollywood era films is clear, as this production appears to be more like a filmed theatre-stage performance rather than a traditional film. This is common in the days when many film companies were attempting to bring theatre-goers into film. The elaborate costumes and furnishings further evoke this style, and really give a snapshot into the early days of cinema, when it was still something of a novelty.

Thank you for your interest, and I hope you enjoy this humble slice of film history :)

[Eurafrican]

How amazing that this has survived 111 years later! The acting is very naturalistic. Thanks for sharing, it's fascinating.

[superdemocraticgirl]

I wish we knew more about this! It’s lucky that something that old survived at all, but who were the actors? What was the title? What was it about? Was it popular? Why couldn’t it be shown in some places? The answers are long lost.