Baby's Meal

One of the first films ever made, the film seems extremely primitive: there is no dialogue or plot or characters. However, in 1895, it was a new technological breakthrough. It is interesting to watch; the Lumière brothers were the first film makers and pretty much invented the technology, along with Edison.

I watched this film on a DVD that was rammed with short films from the period. I didn't watch all of them as the main problem with these type of things that their value is more in their historical novelty value rather than entertainment. So to watch them you do need to be put in the correct context so that you can keep this in mind and not watch it with modern eyes. With the Primitives & Pioneers DVD collection though you get nothing to help you out, literally the films are played one after the other (the main menu option is "play all") for several hours. With this it is hard to understand their relevance and as an educational tool it falls down as it leaves the viewer to fend for themselves, which I'm sure is fine for some viewers but certainly not the majority. What it means is that the DVD saves you searching the web for the films individually by putting them all in one place – but that's about it.

Anyway onto this film which is barely even a minute long and focuses on two parents feeding their baby. It is an affectionate and tender shot that is free of anything of particular interest but is still quite engaging. Clearly made as part of the developmental process of getting to grips with the technology, the film doesn't aim for much but in regards its place in history it is maybe worth a look at. Lumière is considered the originator of cinema, so on that basis alone it is worth a glance. Don't expect to be able to understand the impact of the film though – to those of us now used to seeing different universes on our screens when we go to the cinema, it is difficult to forget that you'll looking at two people feeding a baby!

Repas de Bebe was one of the films on the bill of the Lumiere brothers' first exhibition of motion pictures for a paying audience. The basement room of the Hotel Salon Indien the brothers hired for the occasion was half-empty on the first ever cinema screening - but the second night was a sell-out. Of course, by today's standards most of the film's appear quite crude and this one is no great shakes but it does capture a tender family moment as Auguste Lumiere and his wife feed their baby son. It's a shot that's been repeated millions of times since by anyone who ever had a family and owned a cine camera/video camera or mobile phone, and as such there's a certain poignancy to it.

Louis Lumiere's brother, Auguste, and his wife sit at a table, in their garden, feeding their child - who sits between them. Shrubbery in the background rustles indicating a slight breeze. Perhaps the public, in 1896, would see this and wish they could preserve family scenes such as this for their posterity. Now, 107 years later, we can - on film or video. We have come a long way, baby!

A father with his wife at the table feeds his son , who then offers a cookie to his parents while the wind moves the trees. There is a time when children will have to feed their aged parents and already before time this child offers them food!