On Dec. 28, 1895, in the basement of a Paris café, 33 people witnessed moving photographs projected onto a screen — the birth of cinema as we know it. Exactly 129 years after this legendary event, The Sprocket Society presents a very special program celebrating the origins and earliest evolution of motion pictures from 1894-1901.
In the style of the time, Spencer Sundell will give live narration and an illuminated lecture, providing fascinating history and anecdotes about these remarkable films and their creators.
Travel back in time to the 19th century. Walk the streets of Paris, New York, and even Gold Rush-era Seattle. Witness historic events and simple moments of ordinary life.
Selections include Edison Kinetoscopes, Lumière actualities, early films by Georges Méliès, loops by Max Skladanowaky, and more. Examples of pre-cinema and the earliest movie storytelling will also be shown. As befitting the occasion, all will be screened from rare 16mm film prints.