Scene from the Elevator Ascending Eiffel Tower | 1900 | Documentary, Short

Title: Scene from the Elevator Ascending Eiffel Tower | 1900 | Documentary, Short Director: James H. White Studio: Edison Manufacturing Company Release Date: August 1900 Runtime: 2 Format: Silent, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Documentary, Actualities, Travelogue, Short --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Ascent begins 00:00:30 Through the tower girders 00:01:05 Summit panorama of the Exposition 00:01:35 Descent and wider city view --- Summary: Filmed during the 1900 Paris Exposition, the camera rides an elevator up the Eiffel Tower, revealing the tower’s ironwork and the expanding vista of Paris. From the summit, it surveys landmarks including the fairgrounds before descending to ground level. The film exemplifies early actuality cinema, using motion and elevated perspective to transform everyday urban space into a spectacle and to showcase the possibilities of travel and observation through film. --- Background: Shot in July 1900 and released the following month, this Edison Manufacturing Company production is part of the “Paris Exposition, 1900” series overseen by James H. White. Offered in multiple lengths, the film captured both the ascent and descent of the tower’s elevator, providing American audiences with views of the Exposition, the Trocadéro, and the Palace of Electricity that were otherwise accessible only to travelers. --- Trivia: The film was registered for copyright on August 9, 1900 . It survives via the Library of Congress Paper Print Collection, which preserved many early Edison titles. Edison catalogs also listed variant titles, including “Panoramic View from the Eiffel Tower, Ascending and Descending.” The title was sold in different lengths, including a 200-foot version showing the full trip and a 125-foot version with the ascent only. Standard exhibition format was 35mm with an approximate 1.33:1 aspect ratio. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 1900 Original Studio / Distributor: Edison Manufacturing Company Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: PublicDomain SilentFilm Edison JamesHWhite 1900 Documentary Actuality EiffelTower ParisExposition EarlyCinema This video was sourced from Internet Archive. Originally uploaded by jake@archive.org. https://archive.org/details/silent-scene-from-the-elevator-ascending-eiffel-tower