Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge (1888)

Directed by

Louis Le Prince

Genre

documentary film, silent film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

2 min

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 135 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is a very early motion picture from 1888. It shows horse-drawn carriages and people walking across a bridge in Leeds, England. The film captures a brief moment of ordinary street life from the 19th century.

historiceverydaystaticbriefobservationalslowgrainy

What happens

Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge is a short silent motion picture directed by Louis Le Prince; it is an early motion picture capturing everyday life. The short film shows horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians crossing Leeds Bridge in England, offering a dynamic glimpse into 19th-century urban activity and marking a milestone in early cinematography. The earliest copy belongs to the 1923 NMPFT inventory (frames 118–120 and 122–124), though this longer sequence comes from the 1931 inventory (frames 110–129). According to Adolphe Le Prince who assisted his father when this film was shot in late October 1888, it was taken at 20fps. However, the digitally stabilised sequence produced by the NMPFT lasts two seconds, meaning the footage is playing here at 10fps. As with the Roundhay Garden sequence, its appearance is sped up, suggesting the original footage was probably shot at 7fps. This would fit with what we know of the projection experiments, where James Longley reported a top speed of 7fps. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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