The first films which were shot on the Balkans (1896 – 1900)

Part II

Abstract

The general history of early filmmaking on the Balkans is little known in the countries on the peninsula itself as well as in the West. Even prestigious publications such as ‘Encyclopaedia of Early Cinema’ (compiled by Richard Abel) abound in debatable information in that particular field. The reasons thereof are multiple: the language diversity which is characteristic for the region; the hermeticism of research that remains restricted within the frameworks of national cinematic historiographies; the scarce information offered in the local print media issued at regular intervals of time at end-19th century.

Over recent years, though, some publications came out, providing hitherto unknown facts about the early years of cinematography on the Balkans, including data that endorse the beginning of film shoots on these territories, undertaken mostly by foreign cinematographers. In parallel to that, the Internet provides a much wider access to databases of libraries, archives and specialised websites. The current publication consolidates the facts that are otherwise available at widely dispersed sources; presents some newfound information that is relevant to the topic; analyses the data so as to render the information pertinent not only the experts in the field but to a larger reading audience (including university undergraduates).

The current article constitutes a follow-up of a text which was published in the first issue of this journal. The present second part focuses on the period between 1898 and 1900. Films from different genres are presented – such as ‘geographical’ films which highlight the nature of the Adriatic region and the landmarks in some of the larger cities; scientific (related to medical research); newsreels which represented a panegyric coverage of the monarchies; as well as the probably one and only ethnographic film ‘A Bulgarian Holiday’.

References:

Publications (monographs, publications in collections and scientific journals)

Guseynov, Abdul A. Turezkoe kino: istorija i sovremennie problemi. Moskva: Nauka, 1978.

Nedić, Lilijana. Slovenechkiot film i kinematografija (1896–1945). In: Razvojot i proniknuvanieto na balkanskite nazionalni kinematografii vo periodot od 1895 do 1945 godina. Skopje: Kinoteka na Makedonija, 2003.

Abel, Richard (ed.). Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. London–New York: Routledge–Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.

Bernardini, Aldo. Cinema delle origini in Italia. I film „dal vero” di produzione estera 1895–1907. La Cineteca del Friuli, 2008.

Bernardini, Aldo. Cinema italiano delle origini. Gli ambulanti. La Cineteca del Friuli, 2001.

Gifford, Denis. The British Film Catalogue. Vol. 2. Non-Fiction Film, 1888–1994. London– Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2000.

Knežević, Srđan. Filmske predstave putujućih prikazivača kao početni oblik kinematografskih delatnosti na teritoriji Jugoslavije (1896–1900) Ph.D. diss. Beograd: Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu, Fakultet dramskih umetnosti, 1992.

Kosanović, Dejan. Leksikon pionira filma i filmskih stvaralaca na tlu jugoslovenskih zemalja 1896–1945. Beograd: Institut za film, Jugoslovenska kinoteka, Feniks film, 2000.

Kosanović, Dejan. Počeci kinematografije na tlu Jugoslavije 1896–1918. Beograd: Institut za film, Univerzitet umetnosti, 1985.

Ripeanu, Bujor T. Filmat in Romania. Filmul documentar 1897–1948. Bucuresti: Meronia, 2008.

Rittaud-Hutinet, Jacques. Le cinéma des origines: les frères Lumière et leurs opérateurs. Seyssel: Editions du Champ Vallon, 1985.

Slijepčević, Bosa. Kinematografija u Srbiji, Crnoj Gori, Bosni i Hercegovini 1896–1918. Beograd: Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu, Institut za film u Beogradu, 1982.

Traven, Janko. Pregled razvoja kinematografije pri Slovencih (do 1918). Ljubljana: Slovenski gledališki in filmski muzej, 1992.

Ţuţui, Marian. A Short History of Romanian Cinema. Bucharest: Noi Media Print with the support of The Romanian Film Center, 2011.

Online resources

McKernan, Luke. Dr Gheorghe Marinescu. Rumanian neurologist. In: Who’s Who of Victorian Cinema. http://www.victorian-cinema.net/marinescu (accessed 13 May 2019).

McKernan, Luke. Francis Doublier. Lumière operator. In: Who’s Who of Victorian Cinema http://www.victorian-cinema.net/doublier.htm (accessed 24 October 2019).

Online-Filmdatebank (OFDb). https://ssl.ofdb.de/film/267683,Orient-Reise-desKaiserpaares-Marktplatz-in-Beirut (accessed 14 May 2019).

The German Early Cinema Database (TGECDb). http://earlycinema.dch.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/films/view/39781 (accessed 14 May 2019).