Opening of the Kiel Canal
5.2 /10 1 Votes
Director Birt Acres Country United Kingdom | 5.2/10 IMDb Duration Language Silent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release date 1895 (1895) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opening of the Kiel Canal (also known as Inauguration of the Kiel Canal by Kaiser Wilhelm II) is an 1895 British short black-and-white silent documentary news film directed and produced by Birt Acres. It was filmed between June 1895 and July 1895 and as the title suggests documents the opening of the Kiel Canal in Germany by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 20 June 1895.
Contents
Unlike most of the films made by Birt Acres on this occasion, the video of this film survives and the original negative is held by the Science Museum (London).
Synopsis
The film opens with a shot of the North Sea Canal with a winged statue on the far side. Three men row towards the shore in a small rowing boat while a small boy waits on the quayside and then turns to face the camera.
Legacy
Film historian Nicholas Pronay has cited this film as one of the "archetypes of the newsfilm", as it was not "visually exciting", but interested audiences because it documented "an event over which there was already public sensitivity and which the mind of the audience would invest with great fascination".
References
Opening of the Kiel Canal WikipediaOpening of the Kiel Canal IMDb