Card Game

Starring: Antoine Feraud, Antoien Lumiere, Felicien Trewey, Alphonse Winckler
Directed by: Louis Lumiere
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short
Length: 45 seconds
1896

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Three men play a game of cards.

Review:

Tim: I've seen a number of Louis Lumiere's early films at this point, and I must say this one is just a little disappointing. We see three men sitting at a table. Two of them are playing cards, and the third motions for the waiter to come over. The waiter brings a drink and three glasses. While the third man fills each glass, the waiter watches the card game with amusement.

This is a pretty straight forward film, as all of Lumiere's early, one-shot films were. What I liked about the film is how much is going on simultaneously. We have the two men playing cards, the third man filling drinks, and the waiter laughing. There's a lot for the eye to see in this short film. Some people have called this a documentary, but I struggle with that, as the whole thing feels very, very staged. The movements of everyone involved are a little too big for reality. The waiter, especially feels like one of the earliest examples of over-acting. He also appears to glance directly at the camera numerous times in the film. I could be wrong, but it was distracting. I hate to criticize an early film like this (it's a little bit like an adult making fun of a child), but I feel this film has some real flaws.

There's not much else for me to say about this film. It's a good example of early filmmaking, and there is certainly a lot to look at. Those are both positives. However, the film has some obvious flaws. This is not among Lumiere's best work.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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