Monkeyshines (1889)
- Original title
- Monkeyshines, No. 1
- Directed by
- William Heise, William Kennedy Dickson
- Genre
- documentary film, silent film
- Country
- United States
- Runtime
- 56 min
- Rating
- 5.0 of 10 from 106 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This is a series of very short silent test films made for the Kinetoscope camera. They show a blurry lab worker in white making big gestures in one spot. The films were internal experiments, not for public release, and were rediscovered later by historians.
experimentalhistoricalfragmentaryblurrysilentbriefobscureacademic
What happens
Monkeyshines is a series of experimental short silent films made to test the original cylinder format of the Kinetoscope; those films are believed to be the first to be shot in the United States. Monkeyshines, No. 1 was shot by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise for the Edison labs. Scholars have differing opinions on whether the first was shot in June 1889 starring Fred Ott or at some time between November 21–27, 1890, starring Giuseppe Sacco Albanese. Both men were fellow lab workers at the company; contradictory evidence exists for each claim. Monkeyshines, No. 2 and Monkeyshines, No. 3 quickly followed to test further conditions. These films were intended to be internal tests of the new camera system, and were not created for commercial use; their rise to prominence resulted much later due to work by film historians. All three films show a blurry figure in white standing in one place making large gestures and are only a few seconds long. Monkeyshines No. 3 has disappeared and may be lost. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Monkeyshines, No. 2 (1890)
Monkeyshines, No. 3 (1890)
How the Telephone Talks (1919)
A Practical Demonstration (1914)
Woman Picking Up Child
Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946)
Jeffries-Sharkey Contest (1899)
Gold Rush Scenes in the Klondike (1899)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.