Emile Lauste

Eye Filmmuseum and the British Film Institute present a compilation film of newly-restored rare images from the first years of filmmaking. Immerse yourself in enchanting images of Venice, Berlin, Amsterdam and London from 120 years ago. Let yourself be carried away in the mesmerizing events and celebrities of the time, and feel the enthusiasm of early cinema that overcame the challenge of capturing life-like movement.

In this episode of the British silent crime serial, Ultus makes an alliance with the Grey Lady, who is a fellow victim of the villain Eugene Lester

Reportage about the visit that the delegates to the First Peace Conference at The Hague made to the floral parade in Haarlem. [...] Although the original goal – a treaty on disarmament – was not reached, other treaties were indeed agreed upon, for example a ban on the use of poison gas and the dropping of bombs from balloons. [...]The group, consisting of 175 guests, made a special train trip to Haarlem on June 4, where they visited the floral parade and the Frans Hals Museum.

In September of 1899, the French cameraman Emile Lauste visited the Netherlands for the second time that year. [...] One of the subjects that Lauste briefly filmed was children on the island of Marken. We see the children passing by in a rowboat, and dancing in a circle. The traditional costumes and the watery environment looked very exotic to foreign audiences. The footage jibed very well with the perceptions that people had of the Netherlands in those days.

Prinsengracht is one of the main canals of Amsterdam. While on board of a ship, we'll get to see the city buildings, its bridges, and every day scenes: from people walking down the streets to carriages, other ships and so on. It's just a regular non fiction movie -hundreds alike were made showing beautiful (sometimes not so) exotic places-. But this one was particularly special to me, must have been its saddened atmosphere. Filmed by Emile Lauste (according to the information I've compiled), this man was sent over to the Netherlands by the Biograph Company to film some movies in this country (Lumière agents worked in a very similar way).

Near the fountain on Amsterdam’s Frederiksplein, various people kneel down in venerating poses. The film was shot from the Paleis voor Volksvlijt.

Short film of the audience leaving the afternoon show at Circus Carré in Amsterdam. | In the early years of film, shots of visitors after a performance, churchgoers after a service, or workers leaving the factory were a proven success. Often the images were shown only a few days after they had been shot. These screenings attracted many curious viewers who enjoyed looking for images of themselves, of relatives, or acquaintances.

A man with a tin of Van Houten Cocoa is treated to a splash of water.

Film about Amsterdam orphan girls heading downtown, under supervision.

A crowd swarms on Amsterdam’s Dam Square in front of the horse tram. In the background, we see the outline of Central Station.

Film produced by William K. Dickson’s British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.

Film produced by William K. Dickson’s British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.