Londres, Entrée du cinématographe

This Lumiere actuality appears to be just another moment in time film, nothing special happens, people walk by on streets and stuff. But, in truth, I'd say it is the earliest example of self-reflectivity I've seen in cinema.

The film takes place on a street. A theater across the street advertises the Lumiere's moving picture shows. People walk past the camera (one man even stops a moment and stares the camera down for, like, 5 seconds before moving on) and life goes on ordinarily. But, while it's just a simple documentary of a time long gone, the fact that its title and place reflects the very medium used to take this shot makes it the earliest example of self-reflectivity in cinema, if that makes any sense (I'm having difficulty explaining it). You could even call it one of the very first advertising films.