Learned Dogs [Les Chiens savants] (1878)

Written By Ion Martea

Director: Émile Reynaud
France (formerly French Republic)
1878

The history of animation is at the heart of cinematic archeology, and the French inventor Émile Reynaud was a key personality of the experimental years. His invention of the Praxinoscope allowed the viewer to perceive moving action generated by the fast rotation of static images with much improved ease compared to classical zoetropes. “Learned Dogs” (1878) is one of the first ten strips to be exhibited to the public. The circular composition of the image set within a cylindrical setting provides a seamless sensation of infinite movement, making the animated dogs and the artiste appear almost life-like, thus aligning animation with the same ideals as live-action films.

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 Musician Monkey [Le Singe musicien] (1878)
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The Passage of Venus [Passage de Vénus] (1874)