Essential Films Canon

Eadweard Muybridge’s Sallie Gardner at a Gallop (1878) invites repeated viewing, much as the zoopraxiscope intended. A seminal work in the history of cinema, this early example of chronophotography demonstrated that moving images were not merely a technical achievement but, more importantly, a desir… →

In the search for the earliest moving images of a kiss, we stumble upon Eadweard Muybridge’s The Kiss (1882). Two nude women meet, shake hands and share a loving kiss – imprinting for posterity a moment of homosexual intimacy more often than not torn from the pages of history. Cinema, unlike paintin… →

Eadweard Muybridge stripped to his bare skin in Athlete Swinging a Pick (1881) in order to show the full force achievable through human movement. This pose echoes the art of classical Greece, where the naked human body is celebrated for its architecture. It is as if Muybridge saw himself as a Promet… →

Eadweard Muybridge made Buffalo Running (1883) over one hundred and forty years ago, yet its importance lasts to this day as the first nature documentary. A precursor to his seminal Animal Locomotion series, this short proto-film establishes a foundational framework for the director’s style. The pre… →

Two men walk step by step in Eadweard Muybridge’s Athlete Walking 1 (1881). Their pace evokes the determination of two individuals intending to make history through the most ordinary of gestures. This chronophotographic study is clearly aimed less at scientific exploration and more at artistic perfo… →

Boxing was probably the most popular sport to gain exposure through motion pictures in the nineteenth century. In Eadweard Muybridge’s early chronophotographic output we also find Athletes Boxing (1881), a vivacious encounter between two pugilists in combat. Prior to the reincarnation of the modern … →

At fifty years old, Eadweard Muybridge sported an athletic physique, and it is therefore unsurprising that he featured in many of his own photographic studies. Athlete Running 2 (1881) presents a bearded gentleman sprinting at full speed, lending his body to the study of human locomotion. The images… →

The sportsman in Athlete Running High Leap (1881) executes a rather impressive leap over a hurdle. This routine seems most suitable for effectively utilising the full track laid out by Eadweard Muybridge at Palo Alto Stock Farm. Given the speed of the action and the shifting point of view, the camer… →

Eadweard Muybridge’s early studies of locomotion will always impress with their ambition. At a time when photographs required longer exposure times, capturing rapid movement such as that shown in Athlete Back Summersault 1 (1881) was a technological feat. What it lacks in clarity, this sequence of p… →

Eadweard Muybridge's Skeleton of Horse (1881) is a striking reminder of the painstaking efforts of scientists working in motion photography in the nineteenth century. This first attempt at stop-motion animation is remarkable for its sharpness. By the 1880s, Muybridge had perfected his technology to … →

Of all the chronophotographic works featuring runners first presented by Eadweard Muybridge in 1881, Athlete Running 4 (1881) presents the most athletic figure. With an impressive physique, the performer uses his full bodily strength to propel himself forward with every stride. His motion resembles … →

There is a striking resemblance between the man in Athlete Running 3 (1881) and the Artemision Bronze of Zeus, making it difficult not to link Eadweard Muybridge’s oeuvre with the art of Ancient Greece. The aesthetic produced by the silhouette in this chronophotographic work alludes strongly to that… →

The sequence of photographs Athletes Wrestling (1881) by Eadweard Muybridge presents two fighters locked in a Greco-Roman bout. Through his association with the Olympic Club of San Francisco, Muybridge had access to numerous volunteers who performed for his cameras. The wrestlers ignore the setting … →

Given that fencing was first regularised in 1880 in London, Muybridge’s sequence of photographs Athletes Fencing (1881) offers direct evidence of the growing popularity of the sport in its early days. The moving images could have served as educational material for those seeking to understand the new… →

The human body inevitably became Eadweard Muybridge's principal focus of study, largely because it is capable of executing varied actions as required. This precision of movement is clearly evident in Athlete Back Summersault 2 (1881), in which a young man performs a back flip with notable ease. This… →

Athlete Running 6 (1881) reuses the same format as Athlete Running 4 (1881), except that the main protagonist here is a leaner, and possibly younger, sprinter. From a technical standpoint, this series of photographs suffers from increased contrast, leaving the male body to appear more as a silhouett… →

Eadweard Muybridge’s studies of human locomotion filmed at Palo Alto Stock Farm include the most fundamental actions. In Athlete Walking 2 (1881), the subject performs the most basic of human activities, allowing us to observe the all-too-familiar movements of musculature captured with notable succe… →

With his arms close to his chest, the man at the centre of Athlete Running 5 (1881) makes huge strides to gain an advantage over Eadweard Muybridge’s speedy cameras. His black silhouette moves with bravado against a landscape full of light. Only his muscular legs and glutes are sufficiently defined … →

Athlete Throwing Lance (1881) is one of Eadweard Muybridge’s series of photographs that show a more limited range of movement. The man depicts the action of propelling a lance into the air, imitating the javelin throw that dates back to the Ancient Olympic Games. The sport underwent a revival in Eur… →

The focus on images in motion often leads to the overlooking of Eadweard Muybridge’s photographic achievements. In the process of recording athletic activities, the camera would inadvertently capture moments not easily observed by the human eye. The brief human flight in Athlete Standing Leap (1881)… →

The initial experiments in chronophotography excelled at capturing the silhouette of their subjects. However, the photographic clarity required to distinguish specific features of the individual in motion had yet to be perfected. As a result, works such as Athlete Running 1 (1881) tend to attract le… →

The swinging of Indian clubs is a pastime in the world of gymnastics. However, when Eadweard Muybridge photographed Athlete Swinging Clubs (1881), the discipline was highly popular in Victorian society. This short proto-film acts as a valuable document, exhibiting a sport that has lost favour with b… →

The jump in Athlete Walking High Leap (1881) is genuinely impressive, worthy of commendation even by current standards. Eadweard Muybridge’s chronophotographic study offers a glimpse of the athletic events popular a century and a half ago. While the performer’s skill commands admiration, the series … →

In his quest to capture movement, Eadweard Muybridge sometimes chose actions that invite the question whether the final sequence was worth using for scientific purposes. Without a jump to complete the action, Athlete Running Long Leap (1881) appears incomplete. Given that Muybridge could only projec… →

In Athlete Flip Flap (1881) we see a young man perform a clean backward somersault. The movement is full of precision, proving that in certain disciplines techniques have barely changed in more than a century. As a sequence of photographs, this composite work by Eadweard Muybridge proves useful in t… →