Société Française des Films Éclair

Hortense Fauvel, the wife of a village postmaster, takes Aimée, a young shepherdess, under her wing. Aimée soon becomes engaged to François, the Fauvel’s loyal servant. At a fête hosted by the Count of Granval, Aimée gives her fiancé a knife, telling him that he should kill her if ever she ceases to be faithful to him. That same day, the Count is planning to have an amorous liaison with Hortense, but Aimée intervenes. To save her mistress from a scandal, Aimée tells the postmaster that it is she, not Hortense, who has been seeing the Count. Disgraced, Aimée is dismissed by the postmaster. François contemplates his revenge and recalls what Aimée said to him.

Early adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story

Protéa is the last film directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, one of the early film pioneers in France. The hero of this film is a female spy, an acrobatic Mata-Hari, played by his favorite actress, Josette Andriot, who wore a characteristic costume of a close-fitting black jersey, two years before Musidora achieved cult status with her similar appearance as Irma Vep. This final masterpiece reflects Jasset's popular style: rhythmic action, fantastic realism, rich visuals, an anarchistic philosophy, a disdain for psychology, and an attention to lighting that earned him the nickname “the Rembrandt of the cinema". Although Jasset died shortly after completion, the film had considerable success and Andriot went on to make four more films in the series with other directors.

Nick Carter, the famous detective, is ordered to prosecute the gang of Zigomar. Carter gets into various thorny situations but manages to escape every time, helped by Olga, a former girlfriend of Zigomar. Carter finally manages to trap Zigomar and Zigomar is arrested. However, Zigomar avoids going to court by apparently poisoning himself.

Paul Bertho keeps a lion in his artist's studio, for the apparent purpose of eating his sofa, easel, canvas and hat. People come in to look at the artists work or sit for a portrait, but react to the lion.... much as I would, I imagine. Bertho seems to be mostly annoyed by it.

Émile Durand, an insecticide manufacturer, is appalled to learn that his son Gérard has fallen in love with Suzy, the daughter of a travelling theatre company. Realising his father will never favour the union, Gérard joins the company on their next tour. In an attempt to heal the rift, Durand’s wife goes after Gérard and ends up performing in their next play…

"The Amblystoma: Curious Salamander From Mexico". Vintage French educational film from 1913 describing the Axolotl. Very impressive footage for the time.

Over-stimulated by boxing lessons, Gavroche brings a lion home to spar with, triggering an all-out assault on public order.

Willy wasnt very proud when he arrived home, for once again he was at the bottom of his class. As punishment his parents informed him that he would not be allowed to see the Conjuror...

The cub journalist comes to the aid of a recently remarried woman, whose late criminal husband turns out to be still alive.

An old surgeon shows kindness to a tramp.

Drama in which the love between Claude and Germaine is tested when Claude is falsely accused and Germaine's father doesn't approve of their relationship.

Short melodrama. Two former lovers meet twenty years later when the man has to compete with the son of the woman.

A visitor to an insane asylum realises that the inmates have taken control.

Silent Short

In 1912 Jasset turned from fantasy and spectacle to realism in making the first of two Zola adaptations, as part of Éclair's new series of social dramas. For Au pays des ténèbres, based on Germinal, he took his crew to Charleroi in Belgium to film in authentic locations, and although he updated the story to the present, he went to great lengths to recreate in the studio the detail of the actual mining galleries, exploiting the ability of film to be a recorder of contemporary reality.

The story of the children of Captain Grant.

The film based on the novel of the same name by Alexandre Duma, is concerned with fraternal royal strife at the court of Henri III. Tragically caught between the millstones of history are the gallant Count de Bussy and the woman he adores, la Dame de Monsoreau.

Grandmother Hall, aged fast falling in health, is greatly comforted by her only two grandchildren, daughters of her own daughter long since past before. She has made a will in which she stipulates that Lawrence, her son, shall inherit her wealth providing he assumes the care of her grandchildren, and who are, of course, his nieces. She dies. Lawrence claims the estate and orders his nieces to get out and earn their own way. A second will is found, properly filed and recorded. It is read and they learn that it is a repudiation of the first will, should Lawrence fail to live up to the terms therein. Lawrence tries to break the will but fails and the estate is ordered delivered to the girls. The granddaughters kind-heartedly offer Lawrence a home with them.