Underplayed Gems

The Oil Gush Fire in Bibiheybat (1898)

The Oil Gush Fire in Bibiheybat poster
Original title
Bibiheybətdə neft fontanı yanğını
Directed by
Alexandre Michon
Genre
documentary film, silent film
Country
Russian Empire
Runtime
30 min
Rating
5.5 of 10 from 11 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

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.

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How it feels

A 30-second silent documentary film shows an oil well fire burning in the village of Bibiheybat near Baku in 1898. The film simply records the event without any narrative or commentary.

historicalbriefstaticobservationalsilentfactualearly-cinema

What happens

The Oil Gush Fire in Bibiheybat (Azerbaijani: Bibiheybətdə neft fontanı yanğını) is an 1898 Russian silent film. Written and directed by the pioneer of cinema in Azerbaijan, Alexandre Michon, this 30-second film was shot on August 6, 1898 in Bibiheybət village near Baku and presented at the International Paris Exhibition. The film was shot using a 35mm film on a Lumière cinematograph. Some scenes from this film were also shown in France in 1995, in a footage commemorating the 100th anniversary of world cinema. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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