The following is an overview of the events of 1897 in film, including a list of films released and notable births. __TOC__

Events

* January 28 – The first

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n-made films are screened at the

Baralt Theatre El Teatro Baralt (''English:'' The Baralt Theatre) is a theatre in downtown Maracaibo, Venezuela, at the northwestern corner of the historic Plaza Bolívar. The first theatre at the site was built in the mid 19th century as a small performance ...

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

, two locally-made actuality shorts, ''

Un célebre especialista sacando muelas en el gran Hotel Europa ''Un célebre especialista sacando muelas en el gran Hotel Europa'' (English: ''A celebrated specialist pulling teeth at the grand Hotel Europa'') was the first Venezuelan film. It was screened at the Baralt Theatre in Maracaibo, Zulia on 28 J ...

'' and ''

Muchachos bañándose en la laguna de Maracaibo ''Muchachos bañándose en la laguna de Maracaibo'' (English: ''Kids bathing at the lagoon of Maracaibo'') is the second Venezuelan film produced, after ''Un célebre especialista sacando muelas en el gran Hotel Europa''. It was screened at the ...

''. * May 4 – During a film screening at the Charity Bazaar in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, a curtain catches on fire from the

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

used to fuel the

projector A projector or image projector is an optical device that projects an image (or moving images) onto a surface, commonly a projection screen. Most projectors create an image by shining a light through a small transparent lens, but some newer types ...

lamp. The fire spreads and becomes catastrophic, ultimately resulting in 126 deaths. * June 20 –

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...

procession filmed. * The American Vitagraph Company is founded by

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

and Albert E. Smith in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. * Mitchell and Kenyon go into a film-making partnership at Blackburn in the north of England. *

Enoch J. Rector Enoch J. Rector (October 9, 1863 – January 26, 1957) was an American boxing film promoter and early cinema technician. He was a partner in Woodville Latham's Kinetoscope Exhibition Company (later the Lambda Company) during the mid-1890s, w ...

develops a 63 mm film format called Veriscope, which films ''

The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight ''The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight'' is an 1897 documentary film directed by Enoch J. Rector depicting the 1897 boxing match between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons in Carson City, Nevada on St. Patrick's Day. Originally running for more tha ...

'' on March 17. * Thomas Henry Blair develops a 48 mm film format called Viventoscope.

Films released in 1897

* '' After The Ball'', directed by

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well known for the use of ...

. First film to create the illusion of female nudity through a skin looking designed costume * ''Baignade dans le torrent'', directed by Alice Guy-Blaché * '' La Bandera Argentina'', believed for a long time to have been the first Argentine film. Now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

* ''

Between Calais and Dover ''Entre Calais et Douvres'', known in English both as ''Between Dover and Calais'' and as ''Between Calais and Dover'', is an 1897 short silent comedy film by Georges Méliès. Plot On the deck of a steamboat labelled "Robert-Houdin Star Line ...

'', directed by

. A fictitious sea crossing * ''

The Bewitched Inn ''The Bewitched Inn'' (French: ''L'auberge ensorcelée'') is an 1897 French short silent trick film directed by Georges Méliès. It was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 122–123 in its catalogs. Plot A traveler arrive ...

'' (''L'Auberge Ensorcelee''), directed by

* ''Buffalo Police on Parade'', produced by

Edison Studios Edison Studios was an American film production organization, owned by companies controlled by inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. The studio made close to 1,200 films, as part of the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894–1911) and then Thom ...

* ''The Cabinet of Mephistopheles'' (aka ''The Laboratory of Mephistopheles''), directed by George Melies. * ''Chicago Police Parade'', directed by

Louis Lumière Louis Jean Lumière (5 October 1864 Besançon – 6 June 1948, Bandol) was a French engineer and industrialist who played a key role in the development of photography and cinema. Early life and education Lumière was one of four children of ...

* ''

'', a documentary directed by

. The first film shot in widescreen. At an hour and 40 minutes, it is the first known

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

ever made * ''Cupid and Psyche'', produced by Edison Studios * '' An Hallucinated Alchemist'', directed by

. May be the first film to feature stop motion animation in cinema * ''Faust and Marguerite'', directed by George Melies. * '' The Haunted Castle'', directed by

George Albert Smith (film pioneer) George Albert Smith (4 January 1864 – 17 May 1959) was an English stage hypnotist, psychic, magic lantern lecturer, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, inventor and a key member of the loose association of early film pioneers dubb ...

(British) * ''

The Haverstraw Tunnel ''The Haverstraw Tunnel'' is an early black and white silent film released in 1897 by the American Mutoscope Company. It is considered to be one of the first examples of a phantom ride (along with Alexandre Promio's '' Leaving Jerusalem by Railw ...

'' * ''Horses Loading for Klondike'', directed by James H. White * ''The Hypnotist at Work'', directed by

Kinnard,Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. . Page 10. * ''

Kørsel med Grønlandske Hunde ''Driving with Greenland Dogs'', ( da, Kørsel med grønlandske hunde), is a Danish silent film made in 1897 by the photographer Peter Elfelt. It was the first movie sequence filmed in Denmark. The film, less than one minute in length (10 meters ...

'', directed by Peter Elfelt; the first Danish movie sequence ever filmed * ''

The Last Cartridges ''The Last Cartridges'' (french: Les Dernières Cartouches, also released as ''Bombardement d'une Maison''; Star Film Catalogue no. 105) is an 1897 French short silent war film directed by Georges Méliès, based on the 1873 painting of the ...

'', directed by . A dramatised war scene * ''Leander Sisters'', produced by Edison Studios * ''

Leaving Jerusalem by Railway Leaving or Leavin' may refer to: Film, theatre and television * ''Leaving'' (TV series), a 1984-1985 UK series featuring Keith Barron and Susan Hampshire * ''Leaving'' (1997 film), a Japanese film starring Kotomi Kyono * ''Leaving'' (2009 fi ...

'', directed by

Alexandre Promio Jean ''Alexandre'' Louis Promio (9 July 1868 – 24 December 1926) was a French film photographer and director. He is mentioned as a pioneer in film and was the director for Sweden's first Newsreel. The newsreel was shown for King Oscar II:s arri ...

and released by the

Lumière brothers Lumière is French for 'light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: *Lumières, the philosophical movement in the Age of Enlightenment People *Auguste and Louis Lumière, French pioneers in film-making Film and TV * Institut Lumière, a ...

. May include the first moving camera shot in cinema * ''Lurline Baths'', produced by Edison Studios * ''Making Sausages'', directed by

George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territor ...

* ''

The Milker's Mishap ''The Milker's Mishap'' is a very early short 1897 comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ...

'', directed by James H. White; it is unknown whether or not this film has survived * ''

New Pillow Fight ''New Pillow Fight'', also titled ''Daughters' Pillow Fight'', is the name of a very early short comedy film, released in 1897. This scene shows four little girls indulging in a pillow fight A pillow fight is a common game mostly played b ...

'', produced by Siegmund Lubin * ''Niagara Falls'', directed by

* ''

Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer ''Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer'' (AKA: ''Comic Faces'') is a 1897 British short silent comedy film, directed by George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who ser ...

'', directed by

* ''

On the Roofs ''On the Roofs'' (french: Sur les toits (cambrioleurs et gendarmes)) is an 1897 French short silent comedy film directed by Georges Méliès. The film was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 100 in its catalogues. The film ...

'', directed by

* ''

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

'',a production of the

American Mutoscope Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, ...

. A comedy * '' Prince Ranjitsinhji Practising Batting in the Nets'', one of the earliest known films of

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

* '' Salida de la misa de doce de la Iglesia del Pilar de Zaragoza'', a short

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

by Eduardo Jimeno, a pioneer of the Spanish cinema. Probably the first film made in Spain by a Spaniard * ''

Sea Fighting in Greece ''Sea Fighting in Greece'' (french: Combat naval en Grèce) is an 1897 French short silent war film directed by Georges Méliès. It was released by Méliès' Star Film Company and is numbered 110 in its catalogues. The film, one of a series ...

'', directed by

. A dramatised naval war scene * ''Seminary Girls'', directed by James H. White * ''Spanish Bullfight'', directed by

* '' The Surrender of Tournavos'', directed by

. A dramatised war scene * ''Sutro Baths, No. 1'', produced by Edison Studios * ''A Twentieth Century Surgeon'', directed by George Melies * '' The X-Rays'', directed by

. Cited as one of the first examples of special effects by

jump cut A jump cut is a cut (transition), cut in film editing in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera posit ...

Births

Debut

Marshall P. Wilder Marshall Pinckney Wilder (September 19, 1859 – January 10, 1915) was an American actor, monologist, humorist and sketch artist. Early life Marshall Pinckney Wilder (sometimes spelled Marshal) was born along the north shore of Seneca Lake at ...

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1897 In Film Film by year