User reviews

No plot. No sound. No credits. But it was the first ever moving picture and it was directed by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince, a man who's dad was pals with the earliest of photographers.

The film simply involves Le Prince's family standing in the garden of a large Victorian house, moving around each other in circles. They had to do something I guess. Mad isn't it, the first ever film and it's just people doing the first crazy thing that comes to their head.

It's weird watching this 120-year-old film and seeing a more vivid look at life in those days. Le Prince disappeared of the face of the earth in 1890 and his vanishing was never solved. He never knew how much of a pioneer he was.

When you watch this 2 second short you are watching the first film ever (i think). Congratulations to Director Louis Le Prince for creating this. He created an entirely new form of entertainment, though he probably did not know it at the time. Alas he did not live to see his invention turn into one of the biggest industries in the world. Le Prince started the movies, though it was helped along with other early directors.

The short shows a few people (Le Prince's friends and relatives) walking around in a garden. Realizing that this was made over 110 years ago is enough to give it 10/10.

It is impossible to judge this film, seeing as it was made in 1888 and involves two seconds of people walking around in a yard. Louis Le Prince never would have known, that by filming a family in their yard, that he was creating a new form of art and entertainment, the most important form of entertainment of our time. This is indeed the most important movie ever made, as it is the first movie ever made. This should be shown in all history classes and to anyone interested in film or history, it is an extremely under-recognized landmark in the progress of art. The only way this film exists now is on an Internet web site (featured here on the Video Clips page). By all means, watch this, as it is the most important two seconds in all of cinema. Lastly, this is proof that from small things, comes great things (or something around those lines).

I have a very hard time tracking down this for an essay I was writing for English class.It is very hard to believe how far we have come with movies,this being why.

This is by far,the shortest movie ever produced in cinema history,next to Traffic On Leeds Bridge,which was as short as this.I don't get why people rated this so poorly,being those that rated this a 1-5.This was the late 1800s of course.And it's pretty damn impressive,compared to these 3-D IMax action flicks we have now,that is filled with CGI and explosions.

I give this 10 stars.This was the mother of all movies,and of course one of the first surviving ones.

How interesting, moving images from 1888. This film only plays for two seconds and could be considered as the first film ever made, at least the first one where the prints have survived.

That director is Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince, who mysteriously disappeared in 1890 after making only two short films. The other one is 'Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge' also from 1888. Le Prince is the first great name when you talk about motion pictures, even though Lumière and Edison are much more famous. Seeing his two films, both two seconds long, gives a special feeling. Basically you are watching the birth of cinema. It is the same feeling you get while watching early work from Edison (his kinetoscopic record of a sneeze), Lumière (the arrival of a train) and Méliès (the first science-fiction narrative). You should try it!

The two seconds of 'Roundhay Garden Scene' contains two men and two women in Roundhay Garden. One of the men seems to follow a woman while the other man is crossing the screen changing his path to the other man in the last fraction of the shot. What happens there?

If you want to see the scene (less than 2 seconds) just search on Youtube.

The scene is in the white and black. And it is my honor to review the scene. And i think i DON'T NEED A SPOILER HERE. The scene has 2 couples and, there is a cheerful music.

Don't upset yourself if you want to see the scene, it is very very usual, but, hey, if you do that, you could put a rating on your IMDb list. And you can boast to your friend that you have seen movies from 3 millennium...1800, 1900, and 2000.

Honesty, that makes my younger sister very jealous, hahaha, it's fun though.

For a hint, just write on the youtube "early film collection", and you will find a video with some earliest movies.

cheers

There is nothing wrong with this very short short film. The reason it's flawless is because it has a runtime of like 2 seconds. Exactly 2 seconds. But hey, at least you won't be bored while you are watching it. This short film rightfully deserves itself a 10/10 for it's quality and because it is one of the first short films/films ever made that helped the movie industry get started. It's definitely worth a watch.

If you are busy doing something and you think that you won't have time to watch it, trust me. It will be over before you know it. This short film is simply a must see to all movie buffs that enjoy watching old works of art and that would like to see how the film industry began.

This is for sure in my top 10 most original films to date. Why?. Shot on October 14, 1888 by French inventor Louis Le Prince, the Roundhay Garden Scene is believed to be the first film ever made, or at least the oldest one in existence.

That's why.

The name of Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince is not listened often when talking about history of film, as the strange circumstances surrounding his death and the troubles his work found after his disappearance covered his achievements with a cloud of mystery; however, it is probably the most important person in the history of film-making, as Le Prince was the man responsible of the very first recording of motion images on film. A dedicated inventor, Louis Le Prince started experimenting with film as early as 1881 (years before Thomas Alva Edison or the Lumière brothers), and by 1886 he was almost ready to take the big step, as he built his first successful movie camera. Someday around October 1888, Le Prince captured on film what would become the world's first motion picture: a family scene in a garden of Roundhay, Leeds, during his time in England. Cinema was born in that garden.

The now legendary 2 seconds short features his son Adolphe walking across the garden while the family of Le Prince's wife, the Whitleys, move on the background, probably wondering if what their son-in-law is doing will work. And it work marvelously, as the images of that day at the garden were captured, and finally the photographs were moving. Sadly, "Roundhay Garden Scene" was also tainted by tragedy, as Sarah Whitley, Le Prince's mother-in-law died just ten days after the shooting of the movie, so probably she was not able to see her image moving in the background of the scene. Considering the enormous importance of this invention, it's easy to wonder why isn't the name of Le Prince better known, and why are Edison and the Lumière brothers credited as the cinema inventors.

The reasons behind this apparent forgetfulness are many, but the most important is the fact that tragically, he died before making his first public demonstration, and was not alive when the legal battles over the patent of the invention began. The mysterious death of Le Prince put him out of the picture and by the next decade, the names of Edison and the Lumières would become the ones related to film-making. While history credits Auguste and Louis Lumière as the fathers of cinema, it would be fair to give Louis Le Prince part of the credit, as while the brothers indeed invented cinema as we know it (they were the first to make public demonstrations), it was Le Prince's invention what would truly be the beginning of all. The shiny day at Roundhay garden that Le Prince captured in this film, is a fitting symbol for the shiny future that cinema had ahead. 10/10

Roundhay Garden Scene (1888)

Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge (1888)

If you've ever wondered what the first movies ever made were then here you go. Director Louise Le Prince shot these two films with a single lense camera he made in 1888. From what I've read, both were shot in October of 1888 because the director's mother died this month and she's featured in the first film (which I just had to watch twice). The first film has some sort of creepy feel along with it but if you're interested then you can see them at IMDb or Youtube. Both just last for two seconds but at least I can now say I saw the first film ever made.

If ever there were the case for a ten out of ten rating, this and 'Traffic Crossing the Leeds Bridge' are it. This is the first film ever made -- or at least the earliest film to survive. It is absolutely priceless and has an incalculable value for the history of film. The wonderful thing is that anyone can watch it through the 'Video Clip' link on the IMDb. Very interesting to have a brief glimpse of life 118 years ago. 'Traffic Crossing the Leeds Bridge' is equally fascinating (and brief). There is really no comparison as they both show a brief glimpse of the nineteenth century, but, if forced to choose, I'd say watch that one. Both are tremendous, however, and we're extremely lucky that they've been preserved.

First I must say that is not oldest movie ever. Oldest movie ever is 'Man walking around the corner', directed and recorded by the same person - Louise Le Prince.

Opposed to 'Man walking around the corner' movie, this movie has all frames in good condition, and you can see what is happening in the movie.

I do not agree with the fact that is oldest movie ever, but I can agree that is first movie which features more than one person, and that is first movie ever which shows - woman !

Louise Le Prince would be very happy if he can see what he developed.

Oh my God! It's Attack of the 80's all over again... the 1880's!! This smashing blockbuster was not only the absolute first of its time, it stands well on its own as an epic mystery story. The questions this movie raises are plenty:

1) Who is the woman in the funny hat? Why does she turn away from the camera? Is there some dark secret she is desperately trying to hide?

2) Why is the man to the left so eager to leave? Afraid that the camera will make evidence of a murder eternal?

OK, so maybe two questions may not count as plenty in today's plot twist-jaded audience, but still it is quite an amazing feat for a two seconds long film to leave you feeling both dazed and confused, left wanting for more, yet afraid of what horrible truths you might find and wondering if the truth can really live up to your imagination.

Roundhay Garden Scene is a masterwork, right up there with "Leeds Bridge" and "Train Pulling Into Bombay Station". Recommended for all ages! 10/10

(r#10)

The Roundhay Garden Scene was shot in October 1888 in at Oakwood Grange, Roundhay in Leeds.

It was a film directed by French inventor Louis Le Prince. It runs for approximately two seconds and is the earliest surviving film footage according to the Guinness book of World Records. The footage has been digitally remastered by the National Media Museum in Bradford..

As far as entertainment value is concerned there is nothing much to see as the footage consists of people walking around the garden.

Somehow the footage has survived since 1888 which is a remarkable feat in itself.

One of the most inspiring things to watch. I have dedicated a movie to Louis le Prince and the Roundhay Garden scene, which can been seen at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdqqC-KqlQ

I hope everyone can watch an enjoy it! Thanks to Leeds Museums and Galleries for the loan of their mock camera - if any one is interested in Louis le Prince, at the Armley Museum in Leeds they have the most wonderful exhibition of old cameras and detailed account of all the oldest film makers and cinematography! Really worth going to see! I think the roundhay garden scene is really quite a wonderful piece, and I wish there was more of it left to see!

Roundhay Garden Scene is a short film that holds the distinction of being the oldest surviving motion picture, capturing a brief moment in a garden in Leeds, England. Filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince, this 2.11-second clip is a piece of cinematic history, showcasing the very beginnings of film as an art form.

Given the technological limitations of the time, Roundhay Garden Scene is nothing short of a marvel. It's fascinating to think about the impact this short clip had on the future of filmmaking, paving the way for an entirely new medium of storytelling. However, from a modern perspective, there's not much to the film itself beyond its historical significance. It's a simple, almost mundane moment captured on film, but it represents something much greater.

While it may not be an engaging watch by today's standards, Roundhay Garden Scene deserves recognition for its pioneering role in the history of cinema. I give it a 6/10, acknowledging its importance, even if it's not particularly entertaining by contemporary measures.

"Roundhay Garden Scene," the abhorrent excuse for a film from 1888, is a festering wound on the face of cinematic history-a disgraceful mockery of the art form that deserves nothing but contempt and scorn. To call it a documentary is an insult to the genre itself, for it documents nothing but the sheer incompetence and lack of imagination of its creator.

Let's start with the sheer audacity of labeling this atrocity a "documentary." What exactly is being documented here? A handful of insipid individuals awkwardly milling about in what can barely pass for a garden? If this is meant to capture the essence of life in the late 19th century, then consider me thoroughly unimpressed. There's no story, no emotion, not even a hint of human connection. It's as if the filmmaker stumbled upon a camera and decided to press record without a single thought given to artistic integrity or narrative coherence.

And let's not even dignify the technical quality of "Roundhay Garden Scene" with a response. The grainy, incomprehensible mess of pixels that passes for imagery is an affront to the very concept of visual storytelling. It's like trying to decipher hieroglyphics scribbled by a blind toddler. The fact that anyone would dare to celebrate this visual travesty as a milestone in film history is nothing short of a disgrace.

But perhaps what incites the most righteous fury is the title itself. "Roundhay Garden Scene"? What a misnomer! There is nothing remotely resembling a garden in this cinematic cesspool. If you were expecting verdant landscapes or vibrant flora, prepare to have your hopes dashed against the rocks of disappointment. The only thing growing here is my seething rage at the sheer audacity of the filmmaker to peddle this drivel as anything other than a colossal waste of time and resources.

And yet, despite its glaring flaws and utter lack of redeeming qualities, "Roundhay Garden Scene" continues to be hailed as a cinematic landmark by pretentious academics and self-professed cinephiles. The fact that such mediocrity is not only tolerated but celebrated in the annals of film history is a testament to the moral bankruptcy of the industry.

In conclusion, "Roundhay Garden Scene" is a blight on the soul of cinema-a monument to human folly and artistic ineptitude that deserves to be consigned to the dustbin of history. Do yourself a favor and spare yourself the agony of watching this abomination. Your sanity and your faith in the artistic potential of humanity will thank you.