Ion Martea
@ionmartea.bsky.social
Writer and critic, and Essential Films editor
Contemporary reviewers credited many of Émile Reynaud’s works as suitable for use as educational material in teaching younger audiences about many aspects of everyday life. "The Water-mill" (1878) fits these criteria particularly well by depicting a young...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-wat...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-wat...
The Water-mill | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Contemporary reviewers credited many of Émile Reynaud’s works as suitable for use as educational material in teaching younger audiences about many aspects of everyday life. "The Water-mill" (1878) fits these criteria particularly well by depicting a young...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-wat...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-wat...
Before film existed, Émile Reynaud's "The Steeple-Chase" proved that animation could capture history itself. Created after the sport's French inauguration, this work demonstrates how moving images transcended mere curiosity to become 'a source of entertai...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/capturi...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/capturi...
Capturing History: How Émile Reynaud Redefined Entertainment Technology with ‘The Steeple-Chase’
Before film existed, Émile Reynaud's The Steeple-Chase proved that animation could capture history itself. Created after the sport's French inauguration, this work demonstrates how moving images trans...
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Before film existed, Émile Reynaud's "The Steeple-Chase" proved that animation could capture history itself. Created after the sport's French inauguration, this work demonstrates how moving images transcended mere curiosity to become 'a source of entertai...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/capturi...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/capturi...
Reposted by Ion Martea
In the 1870s, European proto-cinema was dominated by French pioneers. Janssen’s scientific studies and Reynaud’s moving drawings were the defining outputs of the decade. Discover the best of their works in the Essential Films canon.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?contine...
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?contine...
February 7, 2026 at 9:40 AM
In the 1870s, European proto-cinema was dominated by French pioneers. Janssen’s scientific studies and Reynaud’s moving drawings were the defining outputs of the decade. Discover the best of their works in the Essential Films canon.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?contine...
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?contine...
To conclude his exhibition of the Praxinoscope at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878, Émile Reynaud selected a particularly engaging subject. "The Clowns" (1878) presents three circus performers executing somersaults around a horse. The scene is rich ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-clo...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-clo...
The Clowns | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 7:48 PM
To conclude his exhibition of the Praxinoscope at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878, Émile Reynaud selected a particularly engaging subject. "The Clowns" (1878) presents three circus performers executing somersaults around a horse. The scene is rich ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-clo...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-clo...
A young lady throws corn to chickens that eagerly feast upon it. This simple premise gives rise to one of the more complex scenes animated by Émile Reynaud. "Feeding the Chickens" (1878) combines the regular motion of the human figure with the irregular a...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/feeding...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/feeding...
Feeding the Chickens | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 6:07 PM
A young lady throws corn to chickens that eagerly feast upon it. This simple premise gives rise to one of the more complex scenes animated by Émile Reynaud. "Feeding the Chickens" (1878) combines the regular motion of the human figure with the irregular a...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/feeding...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/feeding...
The Herculean figure at the centre of "The Strong Man" (1878) is shown holding a heavy weight in his left hand while juggling another with his right. The animation forms part of Émile Reynaud’s third series of strips for the Praxinoscope, continuing his e...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-str...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-str...
The Strong Man | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 8:56 AM
The Herculean figure at the centre of "The Strong Man" (1878) is shown holding a heavy weight in his left hand while juggling another with his right. The animation forms part of Émile Reynaud’s third series of strips for the Praxinoscope, continuing his e...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-str...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-str...
Émile Reynaud’s “The Lady Rider” (1878) is a precursor to his more polished work, “The Steeple-Chase” (1878). A lady in a riding habit gallops on horseback in and out of the frame within a brief loop. The specificity of the solitary rider draws attention ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
The Lady Rider | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Émile Reynaud’s “The Lady Rider” (1878) is a precursor to his more polished work, “The Steeple-Chase” (1878). A lady in a riding habit gallops on horseback in and out of the frame within a brief loop. The specificity of the solitary rider draws attention ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
“The Little Waltzers” (1878) is the most crowded of the animation strips in Émile Reynaud’s early oeuvre. It features two young couples performing the waltz, moving in a circle at a three-step pace. The routine requires a specific rhythm, which would have...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lit...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lit...
The Little Waltzers | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 6:53 PM
“The Little Waltzers” (1878) is the most crowded of the animation strips in Émile Reynaud’s early oeuvre. It features two young couples performing the waltz, moving in a circle at a three-step pace. The routine requires a specific rhythm, which would have...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lit...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lit...
Reposted by Ion Martea
French scientists and artists were at the forefront of the race to reproduce motion. Discover the best proto-cinematic works of the 1870s from France in the Essential Films canon.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?country...
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?country...
February 1, 2026 at 3:23 PM
French scientists and artists were at the forefront of the race to reproduce motion. Discover the best proto-cinematic works of the 1870s from France in the Essential Films canon.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?country...
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?country...
Using only two protagonists, one dressed in red and the other in blue, in “The Steeple-Chase” (1878), Émile Reynaud exploited optical illusion to create a veritable horse race. The rapid alternation of the jockeys evades the capacity of visual memory to i...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-ste...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-ste...
The Steeple-Chase | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Using only two protagonists, one dressed in red and the other in blue, in “The Steeple-Chase” (1878), Émile Reynaud exploited optical illusion to create a veritable horse race. The rapid alternation of the jockeys evades the capacity of visual memory to i...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-ste...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-ste...
Performance-wise, “The Equilibrist” (1878) leaves a desire for more impressive tricks. Émile Reynaud’s animated drawing for the Praxinoscope is predominantly an exercise in depicting movement, focusing attention primarily on the centre of the canvas, wher...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-equ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-equ...
The Equilibrist | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Performance-wise, “The Equilibrist” (1878) leaves a desire for more impressive tricks. Émile Reynaud’s animated drawing for the Praxinoscope is predominantly an exercise in depicting movement, focusing attention primarily on the centre of the canvas, wher...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-equ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-equ...
In “The Pit-sawyers” (1878), Émile Reynaud set the scene to demonstrate the act of sawing within a saw pit. The motion is continuous; however, it fails to generate a convincing effect. The wooden planks do not change shape, rendering the sawing visually r...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-pit...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-pit...
The Pit-sawyers | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 29, 2026 at 10:32 PM
In “The Pit-sawyers” (1878), Émile Reynaud set the scene to demonstrate the act of sawing within a saw pit. The motion is continuous; however, it fails to generate a convincing effect. The wooden planks do not change shape, rendering the sawing visually r...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-pit...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-pit...
Of all circus acts, juggling seems best suited to loop animation. In “The Juggler” (1878), Émile Reynaud enhanced the routine by adding to the juggled knives a multicoloured rotating plate, supported on a pole balanced on the performer’s face. Drawing mig...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-jug...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-jug...
The Juggler | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Of all circus acts, juggling seems best suited to loop animation. In “The Juggler” (1878), Émile Reynaud enhanced the routine by adding to the juggled knives a multicoloured rotating plate, supported on a pole balanced on the performer’s face. Drawing mig...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-jug...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-jug...
Among Émile Reynaud’s first series of animated strips, "The Roaster" (1878) appears as one of the most accomplished works of the cycle. The human movements are mainly limited to the cook bending and pouring the roasting mixture over the rotating spit roas...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-roa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-roa...
The Roaster | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Among Émile Reynaud’s first series of animated strips, "The Roaster" (1878) appears as one of the most accomplished works of the cycle. The human movements are mainly limited to the cook bending and pouring the roasting mixture over the rotating spit roas...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-roa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-roa...
"The rosette is magic in the sense that it resembles a flower, and yet, it acts as a star folding onto itself." Émile Reynaud's 1878 geometric masterpiece marked animation's first venture into abstract meaning, where "scientific knowledge" became "a passa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/the-div...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/the-div...
The Divine Geometry of Proto-Animation: Émile Reynaud's ‘The Magic Rosette’
"The rosette is magic in the sense that it resembles a flower, and yet, it acts as a star folding onto itself." Émile Reynaud's 1878 geometric masterpiece marked animation's first venture into abstrac...
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 12:03 AM
"The rosette is magic in the sense that it resembles a flower, and yet, it acts as a star folding onto itself." Émile Reynaud's 1878 geometric masterpiece marked animation's first venture into abstract meaning, where "scientific knowledge" became "a passa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/the-div...
www.essential-films.co.uk/post/the-div...
Reposted by Ion Martea
1878 was a landmark year in the history of cinema. Muybridge in the USA and Reynaud in France both laid the foundations of the art of moving pictures. Discover the best works from this pivotal year in the Essential Films canon!
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?year=1878
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?year=1878
January 25, 2026 at 8:57 PM
1878 was a landmark year in the history of cinema. Muybridge in the USA and Reynaud in France both laid the foundations of the art of moving pictures. Discover the best works from this pivotal year in the Essential Films canon!
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?year=1878
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film?year=1878
Water ripples calmly around a figure partly submerged in water, performing the breaststroke. In “The Lady Swimmer” (1878), Émile Reynaud continued his experiments with colour layering to fascinate the viewer with the beauty of animation. The resulting ima...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
The Lady Swimmer | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 24, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Water ripples calmly around a figure partly submerged in water, performing the breaststroke. In “The Lady Swimmer” (1878), Émile Reynaud continued his experiments with colour layering to fascinate the viewer with the beauty of animation. The resulting ima...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
Sports have long provided a visual spectacle, so it is unsurprising that early motion picture experiments found them an intriguing subject matter. Given the constraints of his invention, Émile Reynaud tended to opt for minimalist reproductions. “Battledor...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/battled...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/battled...
Battledore and Shuttlecock | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Sports have long provided a visual spectacle, so it is unsurprising that early motion picture experiments found them an intriguing subject matter. Given the constraints of his invention, Émile Reynaud tended to opt for minimalist reproductions. “Battledor...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/battled...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/battled...
Games come in and out of fashion. We learn of those that have perished through archaeological remains, whether written or painted. "The Game of Graces" (1878) is a rare animation contemporary with the heyday of the eponymous game, both now relics in their...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-gam...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-gam...
The Game of Graces | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 22, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Games come in and out of fashion. We learn of those that have perished through archaeological remains, whether written or painted. "The Game of Graces" (1878) is a rare animation contemporary with the heyday of the eponymous game, both now relics in their...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-gam...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-gam...
Émile Reynaud managed to reproduce unfiltered joy in his strip “The Swing” (1878). The two children are not merely subjects in an animated experiment; they come alive with each movement of the rudimentary apparatus. Their faces burst with laughter, creati...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-swi...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-swi...
The Swing | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 21, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Émile Reynaud managed to reproduce unfiltered joy in his strip “The Swing” (1878). The two children are not merely subjects in an animated experiment; they come alive with each movement of the rudimentary apparatus. Their faces burst with laughter, creati...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-swi...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-swi...
"The Soap-bubbles" (1878) is a study in blue. Émile Reynaud used varying shades of the same colour to differentiate between the dress of the young woman, the azure skyline and the transparent soap bubbles. The resulting visual harmony produces a pleasing ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-soa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-soa...
The Soap-bubbles | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 20, 2026 at 12:16 PM
"The Soap-bubbles" (1878) is a study in blue. Émile Reynaud used varying shades of the same colour to differentiate between the dress of the young woman, the azure skyline and the transparent soap bubbles. The resulting visual harmony produces a pleasing ...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-soa...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-soa...
Reposted by Ion Martea
Discover the best films by exploring the Essential Films Canon. Follow us and stay updated as we progress through the history of cinema.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film
January 19, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Discover the best films by exploring the Essential Films Canon. Follow us and stay updated as we progress through the history of cinema.
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film
👉 View the full list here www.essential-films.co.uk/film
With "The Lady Charmer" (1878), Émile Reynaud pre-empted Étienne-Jules Marey’s more celebrated chronophotographic gun studies of the 1880s, later collected in Marey’s anthology "The Flight of Birds" (1890). Avian flight proved capable of delivering visual...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
The Lady Charmer | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 18, 2026 at 11:32 AM
With "The Lady Charmer" (1878), Émile Reynaud pre-empted Étienne-Jules Marey’s more celebrated chronophotographic gun studies of the 1880s, later collected in Marey’s anthology "The Flight of Birds" (1890). Avian flight proved capable of delivering visual...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-lad...
A man is smoking his pipe whilst his dog seeks his attention. In “The Smoker” (1878), the movement is limited to the floating smoke and the animal’s barking and wagging its tail. This is another of Émile Reynaud’s animations in which ordinary scenes are c...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-smo...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-smo...
The Smoker | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 17, 2026 at 12:05 PM
A man is smoking his pipe whilst his dog seeks his attention. In “The Smoker” (1878), the movement is limited to the floating smoke and the animal’s barking and wagging its tail. This is another of Émile Reynaud’s animations in which ordinary scenes are c...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-smo...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-smo...
Émile Reynaud’s Praxinoscope strips are not only experiments in animation but also historical artefacts that showcase forms of popular entertainment from one and a half centuries ago. “The Trapeze” (1878) may appear antiquated in its subject matter today;...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-tra...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-tra...
The Trapeze | Essential Films
www.essential-films.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Émile Reynaud’s Praxinoscope strips are not only experiments in animation but also historical artefacts that showcase forms of popular entertainment from one and a half centuries ago. “The Trapeze” (1878) may appear antiquated in its subject matter today;...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-tra...
www.essential-films.co.uk/film/the-tra...