A Sea Cave Near Lisbon
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company
| A Sea Cave Near Lisbon | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from the film | |
| Directed by | Henry Short |
| Produced by | Robert W. Paul |
| Cinematography | Henry Short |
Production company | Paul's Animatograph Works |
Release date |
|
Running time | 13 secs |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent |
A Sea Cave Near Lisbon is an 1896 British short silent actuality film, directed by Henry Short, featuring a view looking out to sea through the Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth) cave near Lisbon, with waves breaking in. The film was popular with audiences and received positive reviews.
A Sea Cave Near Lisbon consists of a single shot, looking out through the entrance of the Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth) cave near Lisbon. Waves enter the cave, breaking on the rocks at the cave's mouth. The film lasts 13 seconds.
Production
In 1896, film pioneer R. W. Paul sent his associate Henry Short on a film-making trip to the Iberian Peninsula, with a new lightweight portable camera he had developed.[1] Paul, who had earlier in the year developed a projection system known as the "Theatrograph", was at the time in commercial competition with the Lumière brothers, who themselves had demonstrated a projection system in London on the same day, 20 February. The Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square, London, were impressed by Paul's system and offered him a contract to supply equipment and staff. Paul was thus keen to acquire footage to make a positive impact on audiences at the Alhambra.[2]
During the five-week trip in August and September, Short created 18 actuality films, mostly in the cities of Cádiz, Lisbon, Madrid and Seville. Most of these were either urban views, including the Puerto del Sol in Madrid and Triana, Seville, or cultural scenes, such as an Andalusian dance and Fado performers.[3]
Films documenting waves had become popular with audiences, as exemplified by the April 1896 film Rough Sea at Dover, and many others were produced in the years up to 1912.[4] A Sea Cave Near Lisbon was, however, the first cinematic depiction of a cave.[5][6] Short travelled to the Boca do Inferno for filming on 13 September.[3] It was filmed using a camera mounted on a boat inside the cave.[7]
Release and reception
The film was shown for the first time at the Alhambra Theatre on 22 October 1896,[4] as the thirteenth part of a fourteen-part programme of Short's films, entitled "A Tour in Spain and Portugal".[8][n 1] Paul included it in his film catalogue for wider exhibition, where it was described as "a very striking and artistic photograph of a large cave near the Atlantic coast, into which waves dash with great violence".[1]
The film was immediately popular with audiences and received very positive reviews. A reviewer in The Era described it as "one of the most beautiful realisations of the sea that we have ever witnessed...the grandeur of the scenes are remarkable".[4] The Daily Telegraph described it as "a picture of real beauty".[9] In the Morning Post, a reviewer described it as "one of the most remarkable effects produced by any of the 'graphies' yet put forward".[9] The film was the most popular of the 14 films, and one of the most successful films in early British cinema.[10][11] Its popularity continued in subsequent years, and it still appeared in Paul's sales catalogue in 1903, with the statement: "This film has never been equalled as a portrayal of fine wave effects".[4]