Fleur de l’âme | 1900 | Music, Short

Title: Fleur de l’âme | 1900 | Music, Short Director: Clément Maurice Studio: La Société Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre Starring: Mily-Meyer Based on: Poem “Puisque j’ai mis ma lèvre” by Victor Hugo; musical setting by Joseph Vimeux Release Date: April 28, 1900 Runtime: 2 minutes Format: 35 mm, often hand-colored; synchronized phonograph playback Country: France Language: French Genres: Music; Short; Phonoscène --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening tableau 00:00:30 First verse 00:01:15 Refrain 00:01:50 Closing coda --- Summary: A filmed performance featuring soprano Mily-Meyer presents the song “Fleur de l’âme,” a setting of Victor Hugo’s poem “Puisque j’ai mis ma lèvre.” Staged for the Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre program, the short pairs hand-tinted visuals with synchronized phonograph playback to convey a mood of romantic longing. As an example of very early sound cinema, the piece showcases the Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre system’s attempt to align recorded vocals with projected images, anticipating later developments in talking pictures. --- Background: The film formed part of the Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre attraction at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, financed by Paul Decauville, with Marguerite Vrignault serving as artistic director and Clément Maurice handling cinematography and direction. The program premiered publicly in France on April 28, 1900, and was later restored by the Cinémathèque française in 2010–2012. --- Trivia: The Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre program premiered in Paris on April 28, 1900, marking one of the first public presentations of synchronized sound films. Projectionists matched image to sound manually by adjusting the hand-cranked projector to the phonograph cylinder; many films were hand-colored. “Fleur de l’âme” was sung by Mily-Meyer and set to music by Joseph Vimeux from a Victor Hugo poem; a Pathé Céleste cylinder recording survives and is accessible via Phonobase. Marguerite Vrignault, later known as Marguerite Vrignault Chenu, was the artistic director and driving force behind the Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre project. The Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre program toured Europe in 1901–1902, with press screenings and engagements in cities such as Munich and Vienna. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: April 28, 1900 Original Studio / Distributor: La Société Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: FleurDeLâme PublicDomain EarlySound PhonoCinémaThéâtre FrenchCinema SilentEra MilyMeyer 1900Cinema This video was sourced from Internet Archive. Originally uploaded by Marguerite Vrignault. https://archive.org/details/fleur-de-lame-1900-directed-by-marguerite-vrignault