The Derby (1895 film)

Infobox Film
name = The Derby


image_size =
caption = Screencap for "The Derby"
director = Birt Acres
producer = Birt Acres
Robert W. Paul
writer =
narrator =
starring =
music =
cinematography = Birt Acres
editing =
distributor =
released = 1895
runtime =
country = United Kingdom
language = Silent
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Derby
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0000020

"The Derby" is an 1895 British short black-and-white silent documentary film directed and produced by Birt Acres. It was filmed on May 29 1895. Unlike many of the films from this period, a photograph of Acres filming the movie has survived. This photograph shows that the camera used in the production was relatively portable despite what might have been expected from the equipment of the time. [ Cite web| url=http://www.victorian-cinema.net/acres.htm| title=Birt Acres| work=Who's Who of Victorian Cinema| accessdate=2007-03-30| format=HTML ]

Plot

A stationary camera looks diagonally across a racetrack toward the infield showing the horses as they pass. Once the horses have passed the camera it is clear that the race has come to an end and there is a close finish between three horses. Once the race is over police officers run onto the field. The camera also displays various members of the audience moving around.

Current status

Given its age, this short film is available to freely download from the Internet. It has also featured in a number of film collections including "The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913 ". [ cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000020/sales |title=Merchandise links |work=Internet Movie Database |accessdate=2007-03-30 |format= HTML ] . The surviving print for this film has Paul-type perforations, but is believed to be a reprint from 1896 when both Acres and Paul (working separately) were exhibiting the film. This copy however was filmed at a far slower speed than the 40 frame/s which would be typical of the time from an 1895 Kinetoscope film. This is said to cast doubt on the identity of the NFTVA print. [ Cite web| url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/728548/index.html| title=Derby, The (1895)| work=Screenonline| accessdate=2007-03-30| Format=HTML ]

References