• Director: Lucien Nonguet,Ferdinand Zecca
  • Year: 1903
  • Starring: Madame Moreau,Monsieur Moreau
  • Runtime: 0h 44m
  • Available on: YouTube

Widely considered the first feature length narrative film, at 44m I honestly thought this silent film on a subject that (let's just say) I have A History with would struggle to hold the attention of my Internet-rotted, distraction-addled brain.

In fact, the minutes flew by. Partly this was due to the pacing—this film moves at quite a clip, with 35 title cards introducing the key moments of Our Hero's life over its runtime.

Although, despite moving quickly in a lot of other ways, for the larger crowd scenes (and there are quite a few!) we do have to wait until every human and animal member of that crowd has had at least a second of screen time before we can move on and some of these must have had over a hundred extras (not including the live camels, horses, donkeys, and sheep).

Partly it's due to the way it looks. There are special effects galore as angels fade in and out, backgrounds dissolve to reveal the heavens, water is turned into wine before our eyes, and the main character walks on water and floats through the air.

It's also a colour film, using a stencil process known as Pathécolor—a laborious process that requires cutting a stencil from each frame for each required colour and then applying a dye for each of those colour through that stencil.

The end result, however, is striking. The vividness of the actors coloured robes and armour contrasting with the various colour casts of the scenes on top of obvious illustrated backgrounds creates a unique and surreal atmosphere.

Partly it's the narrative. This is a movie that follows the classic Hero's Journey:

  1. A young boy born into difficult circumstances

  2. Who just wants to be a carpenter

  3. Is thrust out into the world

  4. Where he uses his special powers to get people sloshed and keep them well fed

  5. Before realising his true gift is to teach the world compassion

  6. But his Point of No Return is that he must be killed by those who fear him

  7. And so he is resurrected as the Son of God

  8. Where a select few witness his ascent, and the world is forever changed

Who wouldn't be rooting for the guy by the end of such an epic and satisfying character arc?!