The Lumière Brothers

The Lumière Brothers -


1. Who were the Lumière Brothers?


Auguste and Louis Lumière; were French inventors and cinematic pioneers who manufactured important photographic and filmmaking equipment, culminating in the creation of the first film in history.


2. When and where did they live?

Auguste was born October 19th 1862 in Besançon, France and died April 10th 1954 in Lyon, France aged 91.

Louis was born October 5th 1864 in Besançon, France and died June 6th 1948 in Bandol, France aged 83.


3. Who ruled their country?


Marie François Sadi Carnot (11th August 1837 - 25th June 1894) was a French statesmen and the fourth President of the Third French Republic. He served as President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.


Major events during his tenure in office include:

• Diplomacy with Russia - Franco Russian Alliance.
• The Panama Scandals - regarded as the largest monetary corruption scandal of the 19th century, damaging to France's prestige.
• Carnot's mandate was coming to an end and his popularity was waning, on the same day, on the same day he gave a speech which implied he would not seek re-election he was assassinated by an Italian anarchist.

Jean Casimir-Perier (8th November 1847 - 11th March 1907) was a French politician who served as the fifth President of the Third French Republic.


Major events during his tenure in office include:

• His presidency was one of the shortest in French history; he resigned after just six months.
• Casimir explained his action by the fact that he found himself ignored by the ministers, who did not consult him before making decisions and did not keep him informed of political events, especially in regard to foreign affairs.
• After his resignation he completely abandoned politics and devoted himself to business - especially mining.

Félix Faure (30th January 1841 - 16th February 1899) was a French politician who served as the sixth President of the Third French Republic from 1895 until 1899.


Major events during his tenure in office include:

• Pursued colonial expansion and remain allied with Russia.
• President of the Republic during the infamous Dreyfus Affair.
• Faure's death was particularly unusual and embarrassing; he died suddenly while in his office from apoplexy in the Élysée Palace, at a critical juncture while engaged in sexual activities in his office with 30 year old Marguerite Steinheil.

4. What was going on in the world around that time? (1895)



A) February 14th - Oscar Wilde's last play, the comedy The Importance of being Earnest, is first shown at St. James' Theatre in London.

B) March 30th - Rudolf Diesel patents the Diesel Engine in Germany.

C) May 25th - Oscar Wilde is convicted in London of "unlawfully committing acts of gross indecency with certain male persons." He was given a two years' sentence of hard labour, during which time he wrote De Profundis.

D) June 28th - The Union of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador begins (and ends in 1898).

E) September 18th - Booker T. Washington delivers the Atlanta Compromise speech.

F) September 18th - Tomoji Tanabe is born Miyakonojō, Miyazaki, Japan. He will become the last living man born in 1895, dying on June 19th 2009, at the age of 113.

G) October 1st - French troops capture Antananarivo in Madagascar.

H) October 22 - A train wreck occurs at Gare Montparnasse in Paris.

5) What are the films about?
   
Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (in Lyon) also known as Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory and Exiting the Factory, is an 1895 French short black and white silent documentary film directed by the Lumière Brothers, specifically Louis is credited as the producer, director and cinematographer. 


It is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made; although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years, it remains the oldest surviving film in existence. The Lumière's film consists of a single shot in which workers leave their place of work after a long day; three different versions of the film exist. 


After their debut they followed up with nine short films:

• The Waterer Watered also known as The Sprinkler Sprinkled, The Tables Turned on the Gardener and simply The Gardener. It has the distinction of being the earliest instance of film comedy, as well as the first use of a film to portray a fictional story. 
• The Disembarkment of the Congress of Photographers in Lyon also known as The Photographical Congress Arrives in Lyon.
• Horse Trick Riders.
• Fishing for Goldfish.
• The Blacksmiths.
• Baby's Dinner also known as Feeding the Baby, Baby's Meal and Baby's Breakfast.
• Jumping Onto the Blanket.
• Cordeliers' Square in Lyon - a street scene.
• The Sea also known as Bathing in the Sea.

6. How long are they? Why?