Trying to put into words the plot of Fantasmagorie, the world’s first animated cartoon, is like trying to describe a dream you had last night:
I was dressed as a clown and then I was in a theater, except I was also hiding under this lady’s hat, and the guy behind us was plucking out the feathers, and I was maybe also a jack-in-the-box? And I had a fishing pole that turned into a plant that ripped my head off, but only for a few seconds. And then there was a giant champagne bottle and an elephant, and suddenly I was on an operating table, and you know how sometimes in a dream, it’s like you’re being crushed to death? Except I escaped by blowing myself up like a balloon and then I hopped onto the back of this horse and then I woke up.
The visionary behind this animation is Émile Cohl (1857 – 1938), who created this captivating silent short in 1908 consisting of 700 drawings, photographed onto negative film, and double-exposed.
Coming in at under two minutes, it’s definitely more entertaining than listening to a nonsensical bedtime story from your significant other.
The film’s title pays homage to the mid-19th-century magic lantern variant called the fantasmograph, while its playful, nonsensical content is reminiscent of the Incoherent Movement of the 1880s.
Cohl, who began his career with political caricature and Guignol puppet theatre, went on to produce over 250 films in the following 15 years, exploring live action and stop-motion animation.
Above, you can enjoy a somewhat restored version of the film, featuring music by Fabio Napodano. To experience the original grainy silent film, watch here.
To delve deeper into the life of Emile Cohl, check out Emile Cohl, Caricature, and Film by Donald Crafton from Notre Dame.
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Early Japanese Animations: The Origins of Anime (1917 to 1931)
Ayun Hallidayis an author, illustrator, theater maker, and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inky zine. Join her in New York City tonight, May 13, for the next installment of her book-based variety show, Necromancers of the Public Domain. Follow her @AyunHalliday.
