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

John Boorman's short film was shot on the set of Neil Jordan's Michael Collins (1996).

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Connections

Edited into The Short Films of David Lynch (2002)

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Soundtracks

Sigéréti Fé Bara
Interprété par Fatoumata Camara
CD ARN 65259
Avec l'aimable autorisation des disques ARION Paris

User Reviews

An engrossing, tumbling parade of cinematic images

The film would be inherently fascinating even if it were no good, but there's actually a lot here of genuine interest. The repeated questions about why the directors make cinema and whether it's "mortal" receive predictably lame responses, but the glimpses of them at work, punctuated with their 50 second films, is mesmerizing. Many of them turn the project into a commentary on cinema in some form - Boorman films Neil Jordan at work, with the actors looking quizzically into the camera (a common device here, also used by Angelopoulos and Costa-Gavras); Lelouch has a sort of reverse version of the Vertigo kiss, designed with great panache. in which a historic parade of cameras observes the spiraling lovers; some, like Rivette, just take varied people and let them play (he's very engaging, seen protesting that the film is too short). Lynch's segment is magnificently skillful and striking, with a potted narrative of police, a 50's style family, and a bunch of space aliens holding a captive woman - it's almost as effective as the whole of Lost Highway and utterly distinctive. In all, it's a tumbling parade of cinematic images that evokes love, passion and breadth, whether the directors take a playful approach (a majority) or aim for greater seriousness (as in Handke's filming of a potted TV news bulletin).

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