VIDEOTAPES AND DVDs

Before the Nickelodeon

1982 documentary based on the work of Edwin S. Porter, with numerous examples of his work. Available on DVD from the BFI.

Early Cinema: Primitives and Pioneers vols 1 & 2

Compilation of early films titles from the National Film and Television Archive, including Lumière, Méliès, Edison and Hepworth. With commentary by Barry Salt. Available from the BFI as two PAL VHS videotapes or as a double-disc DVD.

Electric Edwardians: The Films of Mitchell & Kenyon

A follow-up DVD to the BFI/BBC's The Lost World of Mitchell & Kenyon (see below), providing an in-depth look at the work of Mitchell and Kenyon through thirty-five films (plus five 'hidden' titles), thematically arranged, and with expert commentary. Available from the British Film Institute and from Milestone Films in the USA.

Film as Evidence: Britain in 1900

Revised version of the BFI videotape Film in Victorian Britain, together with teaching notes on CD-ROM. A good selection of actuality and dramatic titles from around the 1900 period, with contextual material designed for primary school use. Available from the British Film Institute.

Film Before Film

The evolutionary processes in perception, image technology and the reproduction of motion that preceded cinema, illustrated by objects from the Werner Nekes collection; including cave paintings, shadow puppets, Dioramas, panoramas, peep shows, magic lanterns and flick books. Available on PAL VHS from the British Film Institute.

Film in Victorian Britain: A Resource Pack for Primary Schools

Sixty-minute videotape with teaching pack bringing together a good selection of Victorian films, both fiction and actuality (particularly the work of Charles Goodwin Norton), from the National Film and Television Archive. PAL VHS only. Available from MovieMail. [Note: This tape is due to be withdrawn and replaced by Film as Evidence: Britain in 1900 (see above)]

The First Film Archive/Det Fǿrste Filmarkiv

Seventy films produced 1899-1913 showing Danish people and events, including films by the royal court photographer Peter Elfelt. Region 2 DVD only. Available from the Danish Film Institute.

Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)

Five-disc, virtually complete box set of the films of Georges Méliès; over 170 titles assembled from archival and private holdings in eight countries. Region 1 DVD only. Available from Flicker Alley.

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1

Two-hour DVD compilation of Victorian and early film classics, from 1886 to 1913, covering the development from sequence photography to cinematic narriative. Includes Edison Kinetoscope films, Lumière titles, Georges Méliès (Voyage Dans La Lune with its original narration) and Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery. Region 1 DVD only. Available from Amazon.com.

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Méliès

DVD compilation of fifteen of Georges Méliès' trick films, with accompanying documentary. Region 1 DVD only. Available from Amazon.com.

The Lost Garden: The Life and Cinema of Alice Guy-Blaché

Documentary on the life and films of Alice Guy, featuring many examples of her work. Also known as Le Jardin oublié: La Vie et l'Oeuvre d'Alice Guy Blaché. Available for rental in the USA or sale (very pricey) from Women Make Movies.

The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon

Three-part BBC television documentary on Mitchell and Kenyon's films of life in northern Britain in the Edwardian era. Features copious examples from the 800 or so recently-discovered films, hosted by Dan Cruickshank. Available on DVD from the British Film Institute.

Lumière et compagnie

Contributions from forty international film directors, who were invited to make a film with an original Lumière Cinémaographe, to last no more than 52 seconds (the same length as a Lumière film). The directors include Spike Lee, David Lynch, Gabriel Axel, Peter Greenaway and Jacques Rivette. Available as PAL VHS (from MovieMail) or NTSC (from Amazon.com).

The Lumière Brothers' First Films

DVD compilation of eighty-five of the Lumière brothers' films, made 1895-1897, with narration by Bertrand Tavernier. Region 1 DVD only. Available from Amazon.com.

Méliès, le cinémagicien/Melies the Magician

French documentary on the life, work and times of Georges Méliès. Available on SECAM VHS and DVD in France from FNAC and on DVD in UK from Quantum Leap.

The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913

DVD/Videotape five-volume box set covering the early years of cinema, including Lumière, Méliès, Hepworth, Alice Guy, Biograph, Edwin S. Porter and Max Linder. 133 titles in total, with introductory notes by Charles Musser and commentary (vols 2 and 3) from Barry Salt (compilations same as BFI's Early Cinema tapes above). Region 1 DVD only and NTSC VHS only (also available as individual tapes). Available from Kino International.

The Origins of Scientific Cinematography

Three-volume survey of the pioneering use of moving pictures by scientists, doctors, ethnologists and chronophotographers at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Includes illustrations from the work of Muybridge, Marey, Demenÿ, Marinescu, Doyen, Haddon, Macintyre, Pfeffer and many others. Based on the researches of Virgilio Tosi. Available on DVD in English from the British Universities Film & Video Council and in Italian from Istituto Luce.

R.W. Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908

DVD containing sixty-two films made between 1895 and 1908 by the British film pioneer Robert William Paul. Available from the British Film Institute.