Movie spotlight
Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre
The Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre was a special pavilion at the 1900 Paris World's Fair which featured filmed performances presented with sound via wax cylinder recordings. Many of these short films were also presented in hand-tinted color. The performances ranged from theatre (Coquelin the eldest, Gabrielle Réjane, Sarah Bernhardt, Félicia Mallet), opera & operetta (Mariette Sully, Emile Cossira, Jeanne Hatto, Mily-Meyer, Désiré Pougaud), to café concert & music hall variety (Footit et Chocolat, Mason and Forbes, Little Tich, Brunin, Polin, Jules Moy) and dance (Blanche and Louise Mante from the Paris Opera, Carlotta Zambelli, Michel Vasquez, Rosita Mauri, Jeanne Chasles, Achille Viscusi, Christine Kerf, Cléo de Mérode).
Insights
Plot Summary
This early film showcases an invention by Lucien Rebattet that synchronized sound with motion pictures. It features a singer performing on stage, with the audio presumably captured and replayed alongside the visual.
Critical Reception
As a pioneering work in the field of synchronized sound and film, Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre is historically significant. Its artistic merit is secondary to its technological innovation, representing an early step towards the talking pictures that would dominate cinema decades later.
What Reviewers Say
A landmark in early cinematic technology.
Demonstrates the potential for synchronized sound in film.
Historically important for its experimental nature.
Google audience: Information regarding audience reception or specific user reviews for this extremely early and specialized film is not publicly available.
Fun Fact
This film is considered one of the earliest surviving examples of synchronized sound cinema, predating Thomas Edison's Kinetophone by several years.
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