Illo Tempore Film Awards

NEWARK ATHLETE

(Edison Manufacturing Company, © USA, 1891)

Produced by: William K.L. Dickson, William Heise

Runtime: 0:12 min.

Rated: U.

Illo Tempore Film Awards history

Edison Manufacturing Company (William K.L. Dickson, William Heise) - Nominee, Best Picture

William Heise - Nominee, Best Breakthrough (producer, cinematographer)

Edison Manufacturing Company (William K.L. Dickson, William Heise) - Winner, International Award (United States of America)

Review by Aaron Time

On a dark background an athlete from Newark is juggling and dancing, full of life and human emotions. In a matter of seconds he is able to captivate the attention of the viewer towards his talent and his clumsiness simultaneously.

Newark Athlete is one of the few experimental pictures produced by William K.L. Dickson and William Heise in the beginning of the summer of 1891. It is also one of the shortest, going just over 10 seconds. In spite of all that it tends to present a sort of clarity rarely existent in the other productions of the time. The boy at the centre of attention possesses a charm that succumbs the viewer into this short celebration of skill. But the charm is hard to trace and define.

At the Edison Laboratory, Dickson tried his best to achieve a more realistic picture of the existing world, and the choice of light was of a significant technical value. What we tend to find, just as in Newark Athlete, is a dark background which is slightly illuminated. Although that is the result, at the time of the shooting it was pretty likely to have an excessive amount of light. The performer was thus forced to present movements that would appear elegant in the dark, in spite of the fact that he was surrounded by light. This inhibited impotence was perhaps that extra element that makes the production special.

The film was nominated for 3 Illo Tempore Film Awards, including Best Picture.

In spite of winning the International Award for the best production from United States, Newark Athlete failed to grab the main award of the night, by losing to Dickson Greeting, produced in the same country. Nevertheless, the victory was well deserved; the short excelling in clarity and in the exhibition of emotivism. It is primarily an entertainment film, and had all the right attributes of one.

William Heise received his best Breakthrough nomination for this particular production. The cinematography is impressive taking into account the year of production, while Heise's effort in achieving such a strong impact from such a short sequence is to be noted.

Newark Athlete opened the road for the numerous pictures that have music as their prime element. If it had music, it could have been considered a musical in its own right, but history was not on the film's side.

★★☆☆☆

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