"Circular Panorama of Electric Tower" is exactly what the title says. And that is actually fairly special as static cameras have always been the way and still were for quite a while after 1901. These 90 seconds were made by Edwin S. Porter, maybe America's most famous very early filmmaker. However, his work here did not impress me too much. Yes the motion was an interesting idea and the buildings and monuments depicted in here are also nice to watch, but that's pretty much it and I have to say it left me wanting for more from a documentary. Still i wonder how people from almost 115 years ago reacted to this movie. It must have been something they never gotten to watch before with the motion in here. Still, all in all, not recommended.
3 Reviews
Interesting & Effective Photography
Snow Leopard26 August 2004
This interesting and effective look at some of the sights from the Pan-American Exposition of 1901 is almost like a chance to travel back in time. The idea of panning the camera around to show footage of the exposition was creative at the time, and the photography has held up well.
It's a simple film, of course, but it effectively shows the variety of styles and structures at the exhibition, while also showing just enough of the crowd to preserve the feel of the time. "Circular Panorama of Electric Tower", along with the companion piece "Panorama of Esplanade By Night" and other Edison films of the exposition, provide an interesting view of this long-ago event.
It's a simple film, of course, but it effectively shows the variety of styles and structures at the exhibition, while also showing just enough of the crowd to preserve the feel of the time. "Circular Panorama of Electric Tower", along with the companion piece "Panorama of Esplanade By Night" and other Edison films of the exposition, provide an interesting view of this long-ago event.
Edison Short w/Porter on Camera
Michael_Elliott12 September 2009
Circular Panorama of Electric Tower (1901)
*** (out of 4)
Edwin S. Porter operated the camera for this (at the time) popular look at the Pan-American Exposition. As the title says, we get a circular look at the events as various people are walking around and enjoying the sites. This 76-second clip is pretty much just that but once again this historical little film shows us enough to remain quite entertaining. Seeing the various clothing people were wearing back then is the main reason to watch this thing. If you want to see that then you'd be advised to check this out.
*** (out of 4)
Edwin S. Porter operated the camera for this (at the time) popular look at the Pan-American Exposition. As the title says, we get a circular look at the events as various people are walking around and enjoying the sites. This 76-second clip is pretty much just that but once again this historical little film shows us enough to remain quite entertaining. Seeing the various clothing people were wearing back then is the main reason to watch this thing. If you want to see that then you'd be advised to check this out.
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