Akrobatisches Potpourri (1895)
by popegrutch
This is another of the early films of Germany. Along with “The Boxing Kangaroo” it was shown as part of the “Wintergartenprogramm” by means of projection through a “magic lantern.” What we see is a group of acrobats creating a human pyramid and spinning on an axis. These are the “Grunato family,” who were famous circus performers in Europe at the time. The director was Max Skladonowski, who was attempting to get in ahead of the Lumière brothers as an innovator in projected film, but their camera-and-projector system was superior and he quickly faded into obscurity. Still, this is another interesting peek into 19th-century experimentation with film and nicely demonstrates the kind of “attractions” that were associated with early motion pictures.
Director: Max Skladonowski
Camera: Max Skladonowski
Run Time: 10 secs
You can watch it for free: here (advance to 2:21)
Century Film Project 
[…] was another of the short films of the Wintergartenprogramm, along with the Boxing Kangaroo and Akrobatisches Potpourri, which represent some of the first projected films in German history. They were made by Max […]