Émile Reynaud
 |
Charles-Émile Reynaud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 December 1844 Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France |
| Died | 9 January 1918 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Science teacher, inventor |
Charles-Émile Reynaud (8 December 1844 – 9 January 1918) was a French inventor, responsible for the first projected animated cartoons. Reynaud created the Praxinoscope in 1877 and the Théâtre Optique in December 1888, and on 28 October 1892 he projected the first animated film in public, Pauvre Pierrot, at the Musée Grévin in Paris. This is also notable as the first known instance of film perforations being used.
Reynaud's late years were tragic after 1910 when, his creations outmoded by the Cinematograph, dejected and penniless, he threw the greater part of his irreplaceable work and unique equipment into the Seine. The public had forgotten his "Théâtre Optique" shows, which had been a celebrated attraction at the Musée Grevin between 1892 and 1900. He died in a hospice on the banks of the Seine where he had been cared for since 29 March 1917.
Filmography
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1892 | Un bon bock |
| Pauvre Pierrot | |
| Le Clown et ses chiens | |
| 1894 | Rêve au coin du feu |
| Autour d'une cabine |
Some of his first creations (1877–1879)
-
La Rosace Magique
-
Le Trapèze
-
Le singe musicien
-
Le fumeur
Series 1
- L'Aquarium
- Le Jongleur
- L'Équilibriste
- Le Repas des Poulets
- Les Bulles de Savon
- Le Rotisseur
- La Danse sur la Corde
- Les Chiens Savants
- Le Jeu de Corde
- Zim, Boum, Boum
Series 2
- Les Scieurs de Long
- Le Jeu du Volant
- Le Moulin à Eau
- Le Déjeuner de Bébé
- La Rosace Magique
- Les Papillons
- Le Trapèze
- La Nageuse
- Le Singe Musicien
A basic projecting praxinoscope, 1882, superimposing an animated figure on a separately projected background scene - La Glissade
Series 3
- La Charmeuse
- La Balançoire
- L'Hercule
- Les Deux Espiègles
- Le Fumeur
- Le Jeu de grâces
- L'Amazone
- Le Steeple-chase
- Les Petits valseurs
- Les Clowns
The film frames were not photographed, but painted directly onto the transparent strip. In 1900, more than 500,000 people saw his shows.
His inventions
- The praxinoscope, 1876
- The praxinoscope-jouet (toy praxinoscope), 1877
- The praxinoscope-théâtre, 1879
- The projecting praxinoscope, 1880
- Image bands with central perforation.
- The Théâtre Optique, 1888
- The stéréo-cinéma (animations in 3D), 1907
Books and references
- Dominique Auzel, Émile Reynaud et l'image s'anima biographie d'Émile Reynaud
- éditions du May (1992), ISBN 2-906450-72-3 (photos en couleurs)
- And at Dreamland éditeur (2000), ISBN 2-910027-37-6 (photos en noir et blanc)
External links
- Charles-Émile Reynaud at IMDb
- Kinodinamico[dead link]
- Who's Who of Victorian Cinema Biography
- Biography
- Biography
- Interactive display about Reynaud from the Cinémathèque française[dead link]
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