Serpentinen Tanz (1895)
by popegrutch
This 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 Skladanowski who has been somewhat forgotten as an innovator since his “magic lantern” failed to be as commercially viable as the Lumière projection system. This movie is a brief clip of a woman in flowing clothing doing a “serpentine dance.” Such dances were quite popular subjects in early motion picture film, as they demonstrated motion in an exotic and interesting fashion. To me, the movement on this clip seems a bit jerky – I tried a few different online options and all seemed to be the same – which could be due to bad preservation, bad streaming, or an inferior original, it’s hard to say.
Director: Max Skladanowski
Camera: Max Skaldanowski
Run Time: 10 secs
You can watch it for free: here.
Century Film Project 
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