Lumiere Film No.607

one reel of 35mm Lumiére film in a rare original tin film canister with the makers label stamped into the lid, the filmstrip is perforated complying with the Lumière standard of one circular hole on either side of the frame, it is very well preserved and shows no mechanical damage or signs of chemical disintegration. The film shows the French president Felix Faure inspecting a parade during his trip to Russia between 23rd and 26th August 1897. This filmstrip was very likely shot and copied with the same instrument – the Cinématograph, introduced by Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1895. In this combined camera, projector and printer the celluloid film was moved by a claw pulldown consisting of a pair of pins which inserted into the perforations then moved down, carrying the film with them. Shortly after the first public screening in 1895 the perforation was subject to standardization. While the Lumière Brothers (and later the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company) used one circular hole on either side of the frame, Kodak and other film manufacturers quickly adopted the Edison Kinetoscope system which punched four rectangular perforations on either side of the image. Within two or three years, however, the technical limitations of the Lumière perforated film resulted in it being superseded by the Edison standard. Because of their historical significance in movie history and also because the Lumiére Cinématograph films were only produced for a very short time they rare and sought-after collectables.