The Countryman and the Cinematograph

Starring: N/A
Directed by: Robert W. Paul
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Comedy
Length: 16 seconds
1901

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A yokel enjoys moving pictures, until he is frightened by a train.

Review:

Tim: It's unfortunate that Robert W. Paul's The Countryman and the Cinematograph only survives as a 16 second fragment. This is one of the earliest examples of a film-within-a-film. A guy who is obviously stupid (far dumber than any of the viewers of the film) is laughing at the moving pictures on screen. When a train starts approaching, however, he becomes frightened and runs away.

What's interesting about this film is that it shows the early days of cinema, and how audiences reacting to the fantastic moving images they saw on screen. This film obviously recalls the urban legend about the Lumiere Brothers' Arrival of a Train at La Coitat and the supposed reaction of the audience. Here, in this lighthearted comedy, everyone can laugh at the silly fool on screen and his becoming frightened by the movie.

It is disappointing that the rest of the film does not survive. The whole film synopsis is depicted online, and it really provides a well rounded story. I would have loved to see how the film ends (the yokel himself is involved in the third picture). As is, we only get the very end of the first film, the entire second film, and just the very beginning of the third film. It would have been really cool to see this film in its entirety. As such, I just feel thankful that some pieces of Paul's early comedy short survive. It really makes you think about lucky we are that we have as many early films as we do. Plus, we can hold out hope that maybe someday, more of the film will be discovered.

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



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: N/A