Lumière and Company (1995)

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière brothers.

Directors:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (as Theo Angelopoulos), Vicente Aranda

Writer:

Philippe Poulet (original idea)

Stars:

Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Merzak Allouache

Cast

Credited cast:
Merzak Allouache	...	Self
Jeffe Alperi	...	Policeman (segment "David Lynch")
Theodoros Angelopoulos	...	Self (as Théo Angelopoulos)
Romane Bohringer	...	(segment "Claude Miller")
Michele Carlyle	...	(segment "David Lynch")
Youssef Chahine	...	Self
Lou Chapiteau	...	(segment "Claude Miller") (as sa petite fille Lou)
Marc Chapiteau	...	(segment "Claude Miller")
Antoine Duléry	...	(segment "Claude Lelouch")
Pascal Duquenne	...	(segment "Jaco Van Dormael")
Bruno Ganz	...	Damiel (segment "Wim Wenders")
Charles Gérard	...	(segment "Claude Lelouch")
Ticky Holgado	...	(segment "Claude Lelouch")
Isabelle Huppert	...	Récitante: Segment Abbas Kiarostami (voice)
James Ivory	...	Self

Storyline

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes. The results run the gamut from Zhang Yimou's convention-thwarting joke to David Lynch's bizarre miniature epic.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | anthology film | silent filmmaking | film director as character | title co directed by female | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrice Leconte's film is a remake of The Arrival of a Train (1896) filmed on the exact same place 100 years later of the making of the original film.

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Connections

Referenced in Libertarias (1996)

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Soundtracks

Une petite île
Georges Delerue
Editions Misoldo
(from "Les deux Anglaises et le continent (1971)")

User Reviews

Great celebration!

I think this was a great idea. It works three fold: as a fun game, a slice of world cinema, and ultimately as a celebration of cinema. You get to see some more well known directors while some lesser known though not necessarily less important ones get exposure. I agree that David Lynch's film is probably the standout of the lot for its creativity within 50 seconds and the other rules of the game. But there are also many other interesting things going on throughout the whole exercise;weather the film is particularly entertaining or more personal, the whole project remains interesting. Other films I personally found memorable included the ones by Greenaway (also very creative, particularly his use of light), Zhang Yi Mou (sleight of hand with no special effects), Idrissa Ouedraogo and Gaston Kabore from Burkina Faso, Egypt's Youseff Chahine, to mention a few. Finally, after reading the other comments I wanted to say, instead of complaining that most of these directors showed no creativity why not think about and discuss what you yourself might film if given the chance.

Details

Country:

France Denmark Spain Sweden

Language:

French English Danish Norwegian Swedish Greek Japanese Mandarin

Release Date:

20 December 1995 (France)

Also Known As:

Lumière and Company

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinétévé, La Sept-Arte, Igeldo Komunikazioa

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1