Archives Pathé 1896-1910

Collection of 16 films of the Pathé Frères archives. 1) "L'Écrin du rajah" (1906) directed by Gaston Velle (6 min). 2) "La Boîte à cigares", aka The Cigar Box, (1907) directed by Segundo de Chomón (5 min). 3) "Le Théâtre de Bob" aka Bob's Electric Theater, (1906) directed by Segundo de Chomón, written by Ferdinand Zecca (6 min). "Three young children set up a table, and on the table is placed a miniature stage. The stage curtain opens, a carpet appears, and then the carpet unrolls by itself. Two puppet figures then come out and begin to perform a series of routines." 4) "Les Roses magiques" (?), aka Magic Roses (1906) directed by Segundo de Chomón (4 min). 5) "Le Pêcheur de perles", aka Down in the Deep or The Pearl Fisherman, (1904) directed by Ferdinand Zecca (9 min). "Captivated by a vision of beckoning women, a man dives into the ocean, and soon finds himself walking on the ocean floor. After encountering numerous sea creatures, he comes to a giant oyster. When the oyster is opened, a strange adventure begins for the diver." 6) "Nicolás, El tonto" , aka Flema inglesa (?), (1910) written and directed by Segundo de Chomón (6 min). 7) "Sculpture moderne", aka Sculpteur moderne, (1908) written and directed by Segundo de Chomón, with Julienne Mathieu (6 min). 8) "Satan s'amuse" (1907) written and directed by Segundo de Chomón, with Julienne Mathieu (9 min). "In an unnamed place, his majesty Satan is bored. Despite his servants exertions, nothing can be found to cheer him up." 9) E"l Hotel eléctrico", aka Hôtel électrique or The Electric Hotel, (1908) directed by Segundo de Chomón, with Segundo de Chomón and Julienne Mathieu (9 min). 10) "Les Lunatiques" (?) (1908) written and directed by Segundo de Chomón (4 min). 11) "La Poule aux œufs d'or" (1905) directed by Gaston Velle, with Julienne Mathieu (16 min). "In this version of the ancient fable, a poor man is given a hen which lays golden eggs, but he is overwhelmed by the urge to get at the gold inside the chicken." 12) "Electrocuting an Elephant" (1903) by Thomas A. Edison (1 min). This is a film taken of the execution of Topsy, an elephant employed to help build Luna Park on Coney Island. She had killed three men, including a drunken spectator who fed her a cigarette. Cyanide-laced carrots fed to her by park officials failed, and the ASPCA forbade a hanging. Thomas Edison, meanwhile, had been publicly killing dogs and cats with AC power to show that his DC power was more effective and less dangerous. Edison performed the execution of Topsy and captured it on film, though the brief short shows only the event, and not the background behind it. It makes a disturbing sight. 13) "Escamotage d'une dame au théâtre Robert Houdin", aka The Conjuring of a Woman at the House of Robert Houdin or The Vanishing Lady, (1896) directed by Georges Méliès, with Georges Méliès and Jeanne d'Alcy (2 min). "A woman disappears on stage." 14) "Élevage d'animaux de ménagerie" (circa 1910) (2 min) 15) "Tom Pouce suit une femme" (circa 1910) (3 min) 16) "L'Errore del Policeman" (circa 1910) (5 min