The Ranks of the Auteurs: George Albert Smith
Note: “The Ranks of the Auteurs” is a written series that traces notable people, studios, and series throughout film history and ranks their work. This is the sixth installment, featuring George Albert Smith, who was born on January 4, 1864 in London, England and died on May 17, 1959 in Brighton, England.
George Albert Smith was a British filmmaker, among the earliest class of experimenters in the nascent art form in England. Later dubbed part of the loosely defined “Brighton School” (which included James Williamson, Esmé Collings, Alfred Darling, William Friese-Green, and Charles Urban), Smith only briefly actively made films. Like a lot of early filmmakers, his interest was in the technical; in fact, he was part of the Royal Astronomical Society and a controversial part of work done for the Society for Psychical Research. But then, the latter played into his training as a stage hypnotist and psychic. Smith was a pseudo-scientist inventor, an entertainer that was kind of a blend between the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès. In fact, Smith was a pen pal of sorts with Méliès.
But Smith also pioneered cinematic language in a way Méliès never did. Smith’s hallmarks were more elaborate continuity editing, close ups, and a non-hand-tinted color film process. He actively made shorts from 1897 to 1903, and again for a couple years from 1906 to 1908 for his Kinemacolor experiments, but he left behind an important legacy. Smith may just be the earliest important British filmmaker besides Robert W. Paul, who influenced the movie business a bit more than the technical or artistic aspects of the medium. Below, I’ve ranked the 17 most accessible of Smith’s surviving films.
#17 — THE OLD MAID’S VALENTINE (1900)
This little comic short at the expense of a traditional spinster just isn’t…very funny. The relatively close up shot is of note, though.
#16 — COMIC FACES (1897)
Also known as “OLD MAN DRINKING A GLASS OF BEER,” this short is striking because of the black box studio typical of the time.
#15 — AS SEEN THROUGH A TELESCOPE (1900)
Although often cited as one of Smith’s more inventive and pioneering films (the telescoped point of view is interesting), I find the comic business just a little stodgy.
#14 — WOMAN DRAPED IN PATTERNED HANDKERCHIEFS (1908)
This Kinemacolor experiment is pretty basic. As you might guess from the title, a woman just models some patterned handkerchiefs. The primitive color is a novel sight.
#13 — SPIDERS ON A WEB (1900)
Nope nope nope but also yes yes yes. The through line of British naturalism on film may truly begin with Smith.
#12 — LET ME DREAM AGAIN (1900)
LET ME DREAM AGAIN is a typical comedy playing with the henpecked husband and bossy wife archetypes. The whole situation is a little uncomfortable, but the dream woman in a clown outfit betrays a certain kind of eroticism for the time. The dissolve from dream to reality is also very important.
#11 — THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1900)
A shitty kid knocks down a little girl’s building blocks house and then puts it all together with the help of reverse motion. A technical innovation, sure, but a hypnotic, ethereal moment as well.
#10 — THE MILLER AND THE SWEEP (1897)
The constant, looming windmill is a perfect backdrop for the chaotic, convincing comic fight taking place in front of it.
#9 — THE DEATH OF POOR JOE (1901)
Technically the first Charles Dickens film adaptation, this brief dramatic piece has a cute backdrop and a favorite effect of mine from this era, the lamp whose light doesn’t quite follow the actual direction of the lamp.
#8 — TARTANS OF SCOTTISH CLANS (1906)
This color experiment differs from WOMAN DRAPED IN PATTERNED HANDKERCHIEFS only because of the hypnotic effect of the scrolling, close up effect of the presentation of each tartan.
#7 — THE SICK KITTEN (1903)
This cute little film’s highlight is the close up on the titular kitten as it licks at a spoon of milk. Just plain ol’ animal motion on early film.
#6 — THE KISS IN THE TUNNEL (1899)
THE KISS IN THE TUNNEL is known for its raunchy subject matter but it’s just as important, if not more so, for its continuity editing and implied action. A train enters a tunnel, we see the couple who engage in a kiss, and we see the train come out of the tunnel. Incredibly simple today, but radical in 1899.
#5 — A VISIT TO THE SEASIDE (1908)
This color excursion is the most exciting of Smith’s Kinemacolor experiments because it documents life outside of the presentation of clothing. The action of Brighton is briefly shown, including some women decked out in beach clothing; an extension of the Victorian-era sexuality present in the above film, THE KISS IN THE TUNNEL.
#4 — GRANDMA’S READING GLASS (1900)
GRANDMA’S READING GLASS is really just a series of close ups that could not be more unique for its time. Again, detailed looks at animal life can always win me over.
#3 — MARY JANE’S MISHAP (1903)
The most full-fledged of Smith’s films at about 4 minutes long, this incredibly dark comedy features Smith’s actress wife Laura Bayley. She plays a pretty foolish woman who mugs to camera a lot and, uh, blows herself up. What could be funnier?
#2 — THE X-RAYS (1897)
This inventive and striking short is a part of my weak spot: “spooky” things from the Victorian era. What you see is what you get, but the image of two skeleton people is a fun one.
#1 — SANTA CLAUS (1898)
The first Christmas movie, SANTA CLAUSE features Smith’s most interesting set (the rooftop Santa clambers around), but it is incredible because of its parallel action, another concept attributed to filmmakers much later. The window into Santa’s action while children slumber on the other side of the screen is a really creative idea.
So there you have it! A pretty basic set of films, but ones that I think are worth evaluating today. Smith did a lot of small, important things that would have much larger implications later on. But his own work is also some of the most delightful of the era.
