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The legend sets the invention of the cinematograph on a night of insomnia. No origin could be more fitting for this factory of dreams than having been conceived in a state of half-sleep. I have not seen the first release and I intend to do so sooner rather than later, to repeat such a pleasant experience.
This documentary takes us on a journey to the early days of cinema. At first, its creators did not think about commercial exploitation, because the Lumière brothers simply wanted to make moving photographs. Alongside the famous arrival of the train or the exit from a factory, they filmed little stories like that of the gardener who ends up in hock. They always lasted fifty seconds.
They placed their camera on trams that traveled the streets or fixed it at a strategic point with a privileged panoramic view. These are exceptional documents that transport us to the late 19th century. We see, for example, a Paris that still bears the marks of the 1889 World’s Fair, the centenary of the French Revolution. But over time, the group’s collaborators began to film all over the place, showing corners that were not easy to visit at that time.
When they had the idea of collecting several filmings to exhibit them charging an entrance fee, the habit of going to the cinema to watch films was born. The creator of the documentary presents the materials in a way that is as enjoyable as it is instructive and fully succeeds in choosing the musical accompaniment of a contemporary: Gabriel Fauré. Sometimes it seems like he composed his pieces expressly as a soundtrack for this beautiful documentary presented at the 72nd Zinemaldi. Don’t miss it.