The Cinematographe.

Manawatu Herald, 4 September 1897, Page 2

The Cinematographe.

Among the many subjects to be exhibited is the interior of a barber's shop. A man is reclining on a chair, about to be shaved. The barber goes to his case, secures his cup, makes a lather, with which he proceeds to lather the man's face. Meanwhile a- coloured gentleman, who is probably following the occu- ! pation of a porter, boot black, and jack-of -all- trades, is moving about the room. He picks up a nawspaper* and sits down to read it. Another customer comes in, pulls off his hat and coat, takes a cicar from bis wa^oae pooket| lights"^ picks up a paper, and sits down to smoke, read and wait bis turn< ,The coloured gentleman 1 aforesaid finds something very funny in the newspaper he is reading, and therefore crosses the room, and points out the amusing article to the waiting customer. They both laugh heartily, and show every sign of merriment. Meanwhile the barber has been shaving his customer, and both the 11 shaver " and the " shavee " have been going through many motions, the one plainly evincing his desire to hurry through the Work of shaving and be ready for the " next please," the other as plainly showing the resulty of this immoderate haste on the part of his torturer by' sundry grimaces and antics. It should be understood that this is not an imaginary scene emanating from the pencil or brush of an artist or the imagination of the romancer or humorist, but it is absolutely a living moving reproduction of a scene which has actually taken place* arid that quite recently, in a real barber's shop. Every movement, from the walking of the man across the floor to the sweep of the razor, and even the wink of an eyelash (so marvellously distinct and true to nature is the reproduction), is recorded and is witnessed by the beholder. Even the smoke of the cigar which the man is smoking is blown across the face of the scene, and slowly disperses in the air — a most startling evidence of the fidelity to nature of these cinematographic reproductions. This is only one of the numerous scenes which are now reproduced through the medium of this wonderful machine. It is scarcely to be wondered at that this remarkable invention should create such an { unusual amount of interest. The scenes of real life that constitute the visions presented to the astonished public are real indeed. Take an instance. An electric knob is touched and -where all was darkness there appears an illumination, and Sandow, " the strong man," not a picture, but Sandow in his habit as he lives, displaying every feature *of his marvellous muscular power and physical strength, wherein every gesture ot this world-famed athlete, every twist and twitch of his almost preternatural muscular fibre is depicted with an almost uncanny life* like verisimilitude. Every expression of his face, the firm compression of his lips when straining to produce some tremendous force, is reproduced with absolute fidelity to nature, just as those things were done, and but a little while ago, by Sandow him self in Mr Edison's weird, wonderful, and magical theatre in New York. In this brief Bketch enough has been written to give a fair idea of what the cinematograph is, and of what infinite possibilities it is capable. Indeed, the* extent of these possibilities can hardly be suggested. All this can be seen at the Public Hall to-night.