Madeleine Koehler

An appreciation of Film in the form of a collage.

A mother takes her children for a walk, lifts her baby girl out of the buggy and gently sets her down to the ground. She then moves a few steps away and calls her name, to demonstrate that her baby can walk.

A French family consisting of father, mother and two children, sitting around a table and eating a meal.

Two children, playing in the garden, with a dog and a cat.

In a grove, a small boy and a small girl are dancing together.

Le goûter des bébés

Three women get in a horse-drawn carriage, as servants load luggage on the roof, before it pulls away.

Three girls and a boy playing with their toys.

A little girl sits at a table, holding a container of what appears to be some sort of food. Suddenly there's a flash of movement: a tortoiseshell cat, with long hair and a very furry tail, has leapt onto the table.

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.