London's Trafalgar Square

Starring: N/A
Directed by: William Carr Crofts, Wordsworth Donisthorpe
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Documentary
Length: 2 seconds
1890

Times Seen:
Tim: 10

Summary: London's Trafalgar Square is shown.

Review:

Tim: London's Trafalgar Square is another big moment in the early days of cinema. Only a few frames of this film still exist- 2 or 3 seconds. So, it's much more noteworthy for its historical value, verses anything else. This film was shot during the 3rd year of motion pictures, but the technology hadn't spread or been close to perfected yet. You still had pioneers trying to figure out the whole concept of a camera that could film moving pictures.

There may not be much to see here since the film is so short, but it's the first time London was ever captured on film. This allows us to get just a glimpse of London as it was in 1890. The footage is grainy, but you can make out the buildings, the horse-drawn carriages, people walking, the fountain in the background. Its cinematic and historical value is immense. I just love watching films like this, understanding that it's the first time we've ever seen London captured in a motion picture and allows us to briefly see the city as it was an extremely long time ago.

The film is a bit different from the work Louis Le Prince was doing- this camera doesn't seem to be as effective in capturing clear images. It's also a round frame, as opposed to the square/rectangular ones that would become the standard. Wordsworth Donisthrope (what an incredible name) using his Kinesigraph to capture this is definitely a landmark in the early days of cinema.

Like most of these very early films, London's Trafalgar Square shows the inauspicious beginnings of a technology that would transform the world. This film may not be as impressive as some of the earlier ones, but it was another step forward in this burgeoning medium. For film fans, it's a must-see.

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



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