Dzing. Boom. Boom! [Zim, Boum, Boum] (1878)

Written By Ion Martea

Director: Émile Reynaud
France (formerly French Republic)
1878

Sound emerged as a key technical concern for motion pictures mavericks, mainly because it was seen as a necessary component in reproducing reality. For animators, however, sound acted as an enhancer to the artistic or entertainment value of a work. In "Dzing. Boom. Boom!" (1878) Émile Reynaud combined the illusion of movement with the illusion of sound to create a full sensory experience. Albeit silent, each motion in this praxinoscope strip makes us sing in unison the words of the title ad infinitum. As a result, this is the most complete example of onomatopoeic cinema, hailing from the proto-history of the medium.

Ion Martea

Ion Martea is a British award-winning poet, novelist and critic, and the founding editor of Essential Films.

https://www.essential-films.co.uk/ion-martea
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The Tight-rope Dance [La Danse sur la corde] (1878)