Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge

Starring: N/A
Directed by: Louis Le Prince
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Documentary, Short
Length: 2 seconds
1888

Times Seen:
Tim: 10

Summary: People and vehicles travel across Leeds Bridge.

Review:

Tim: I'm fascinated by the early days of cinema. Louis Le Prince is, by many accounts, the inventor of motion pictures. His Roundhay Garden Scene is believed to be the original motion picture. That's incredible- the first time in human history that motion was captured on film. Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge is another Le Prince film, among the oldest existing movies in history. You can see in this short, 2-second film that Le Prince continued to innovate and test his invention. Whereas the first movie features four people in movement, this short film offers a different view- you see people and vehicles moving across a bridge. Yes, the film is grainy. Yes, it's only two seconds long. But, for the first time in human history, a normal scene in a city was captured for all time. It's fascinating to watch these few seconds and think about the people unwittingly being captured. We don't know who they are, but they only exist here. They have long slipped the bonds of earth, but they aren't gone forever. The power of this documentary footage, allowing us today to see even a glimpse of the world way back in 1888, is simply astounding to me. It's funny, watching this short film might feel disappointing to some people- there's not much to see in two seconds. But, whenever I watch it, I'm amazed. It's because Le Prince was the first to build something numerous people around the world were trying to build. He created something that changed the world. It impacted my life, nearly a hundred years later.

Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge is an outstanding relic of early cinema. It's the 2nd or 3rd oldest film in existence and while it's short, it is filled with the promise of what motion pictures would be and how they would change human history. For anyone who loves movies, you absolutely have to check this film out. There's only three short films that Le Prince shot that have survived to this day and you need to see them.



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



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Roundhay Garden Scene