Synopsis
Three men hammer on an anvil and pass a bottle of beer around. Notable for being the first film in which a scene is being acted out.
Blacksmith Scene
1893 Directed by William K.L. Dickson, William Heise
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Alternative Titles
Blacksmith Scene #1, Blacksmithing, Blacksmith Shop, Сцена в кузне, A patkolókovács, Blacksmithing Scene, The Blacksmith's Forge, Cena do Ferreiro, Сцена коваля
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Theatrical
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USA
Releases by Country
USA
08 May 1893
- Theatrical
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Considered to be the first film with "acting" as three men hammer an anvil and pass a beer around. I call shenanigans on the guy on the left. He's clearly faking drinking the beer.
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A Year of Film History Challenge
(watching a little bit of film history month by month, decade by decade)Supposedly the first staged dramatic scene ever captured on film. Interesting to see an anvil being used for something besides the attempted murder of a Road Runner.
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So, this is perhaps the first sample available of "acting". Interesting... Dickson, after all, wanted to show the same ideas of labor exploitation and the heavy weight of the Industrial Revolution. Perfectly shot, it transmits an idea in a straightforward and honest manner. For that, I admire this little piece of cinema.
99/100
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I bet the guy on the right won best actor for that very convincing beer sip.
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The first actively performed narrative scene in cinema; a direct proscenium exhibition of men at work. Comradery is depicted through the sharing of a beer; three men bond as they pound away at the anvil with their hammers.
The first microcosmic narrative in cinema is one of friendship.
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After a disappointing offering in 1892, Dickson is back on form in ’93 with the classic ‘Blacksmith Scene’, in which he pushes forward the progression of cinema. It’s far longer than previous films and this allows it to form recognisable characters, as well as some form of context and plot. This emphasis on character is like nothing that’s come before, with only flickers of it in ‘Men Boxing’ and ‘Pauvre Pierrot’. You get a real feeling for the period, too, in the form of low-level industry, the labour-intensive form of manufacturing it portrays and contemporary attitudes towards drinking. It’s an impressive achievement.
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Just men doing the hard work of being a blacksmith here. There banging on there tools and making something but not quite sure what. But a rather cute watch and had me smiling with how wholesome of a concept this was.