Deux vieux garçons
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens Lettres (SCAGL) / Pathé Frères. Andrée Marly in Deux vieux garçons (Michel Carré, 1911). Marly is in the middle. Her lover (not visible) is played by Charles Maudru. The two old men, courting young Katje in vain and finally giving in, are Louis Baron fils and Georges Coquet. The old woman playing the maid was Marie Ernestine Desclauzas, a renowned stage actress in the late 19th century. In real life, Marly was married to Coquet. The setting and costumes in this film refer to the popular Dutch village of Volendam.
Van Peterbon and Van Hoosplott, who had grown old as bachelors, took in their orphaned niece, the pretty Katje. The presence of little Katje, charming beneath her bonnet with golden antennae, troubled the hearts and sleep of the two old bachelors. Meanwhile, Katje, unaware of their feelings, dreams of the young Kobe, who is courting her. The two young people, with the help of the maid, write a marriage proposal to each of the two uncles. Upon receiving this letter, Van Peterbon and Van Hoosplott explode with rage. Then indignation gives way to concern. Could Katje have found out something? When questioned, the maid reassures them, and the two uncles agree to bury the marriage proposals deep in their pockets. However, this move prompts them to each apply for her hand in marriage. But Katje's laughter puts an end to their declarations, and the young girl takes advantage of their confusion to introduce them to Kobe, whom she loves. Faced with the youthfulness of their rival, the two old bachelors become conscious of their wrinkles and white hair. So, gruff but benevolent, they give in to the pleas of the two lovers.
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: SCAGL / Pathé Frères. Andrée Marly in Deux vieux garçons (Michel Carré, 1911). Carré also scripted the film. Marly is playing the piano. The two old men are Louis Baron fils and Georges Coquet. The old maid is Marie Ernestine Desclauzas.
Heureux accident
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Wilhem as little Germaine (the daughter) and Georges Tréville as Hugues de Prasdin (the father) in Heureux accident (Georges Denola, 1911), scripted by Georges Le Faure and Georges Denola.
Hugues de Prasdin, cornered by gambling and unfortunate speculations, appeals to the generosity of his father-in-law, Darcourt, to pay off an urgent debt. Rejected by him, the desperate bon vivant contemplates suicide. But while he is writing to his family to say goodbye and explain the reasons for his decision, his daughter, little Germaine, playing hide-and-seek with her brother, hides behind a curtain and overhears her father's terrible plan. When she is alone, the little girl, trembling, comes out of her hiding place and tries to unload the revolver that her father left on the table before leaving. But it is too difficult for her small fingers to handle; the bullet is fired and wounds her hand. The whole family rushes to the poor girl's side, and she secretly slips the desperate man's letter to her ruthless grandfather. The old man is moved by the child's silent plea, and her father is saved thanks to the happy accident.
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Wilhem as little Germaine (the daughter) in Heureux accident (Georges Denola, 1911), scripted by Georges Le Faure and Georges Denola. The other actors were Georges Tréville as Hugues de Prasdin (the father), Catherine Fonteney as the mother and Albert Dieudonné as the grandfather.
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Wilhem as little Germaine, Georges Tréville as Hugues de Prasdin, Catherine Fonteney as the mother and Albert Dieudonné as the grandfather in Heureux accident (Georges Denola, 1911), scripted by Georges Le Faure and Georges Denola.
Le pain des petits oiseaux
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères / Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens Lettres (SCAGL). Edmond Duquesne is the charmer in Le Pain des petits oiseaux (Albert Capellani, 1911). Script by Georges Le Faure and Albert Capellani.
Father Darblay, an elderly accompanist, collects the leftovers from diners at the restaurant for his little bird friends. As the good old man feeds them, an unexpected bird joins them. It is a poorly dressed little girl who hungrily devours the sparrows' food. At this sight, the old musician's kind heart is moved. He takes in and adopts the child. In the artistic milieu in which she lives, Ginette's vocation takes shape. She becomes a dancer. Soon, as an upcoming star, she leaves to tour America. Months pass; the poor little girl has become a great artist, applauded and celebrated. The new star is shining brightly in Monte Carlo when she learns that, in her absence, her adoptive father is consumed with grief. Only her presence can save him. The artist does not hesitate. She takes the first train and finds old Darblay with his sparrows on the bench where he had once rescued her. Now it is the young girl's turn to help the old man. Her care and tenderness soon restore his joy and health.
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères / Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens Lettres (SCAGL). Stacia Napierkowska as Ginette and Edmond Duquesne as Darblay in Le Pain des petits oiseaux (Albert Capellani, 1911). Script by Georges Le Faure. The man behind Duquesne is Lucien Callamand.
Farifla
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Gustave Hamilton as the piper Fafarifla and Berthe Bovy as Florine in the fairytale Fafarifla ou le fifre magique (Gaston Velle, 1911). Velle also scripted the film.
Princess Florine loves the fife player Fafarifla, but King Castafiol wants her to marry a prince of royal blood. Fortunately for poor Florine, the chamberlain Mouskador takes pity on her and arranges a meeting with Fafarifla. Castafiol, informed of their recklessness, vows to punish the guilty parties. But the fairy Melusine protects them, and when the king tries to get dressed, his slippers start dancing so wildly that he is forced to stay put. However, he does not give up on his revenge, and the princess becomes a prisoner in his castle. The good fairy, to soften her captivity, turns her beloved Fafarifla into a bird so that she can keep him with her day and night. Unfortunately, the king, surprised by Florine's resignation and suspecting the truth, wants to kill the enchanted bird. He is immediately punished for his wickedness by the fairy, who imprisons him behind solid iron bars. Castafiol then agrees, in exchange for her freedom, to unite the two lovers.
Le Duc de Reichstadt
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Berthe Bovy in Le Duc de Reichstadt - Napoléon II (1811-1832) (Georges Denola, 1911). It is unknown who the other actors are.
Hailed at birth not only by the French people but also by Europe, which believed he was a guarantee of peace, Napoleon II seemed destined for the highest of destinies. However, he would add yet another name to the list of children born into sorrow on the steps of a throne. An involuntary guest of Austria after the exile and death of Napoleon I, the King of Rome, frail and sickly, wasted away in Schönbrunn, reminiscing about his father's glories. An old grenadier of Napoleon's, Sergeant Roger, hatched a plot to restore his father's throne, which the young prince overheard in a Viennese inn. Hope is reborn in his heart, and a brief romance with the sergeant's daughter (Berthe Bovy) brightens his final days. Defeated by illness, the King of Rome succumbs just as his dreams are about to come true and bids a final farewell to the brave hearts who devoted themselves to his cause.
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Berthe Bovy in Le Duc de Reichstadt - Napoléon II (1811-1832) (Georges Denola, Pathé 1911). It is unknown who the other actors are. The moment on this card was also a key moment in the stage play' L'Aiglon' (1900) by Edmond Rostand, in which Sarah Bernhardt played Napoleon II.
Oiseau d'hiver, hirondelle de printemps
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Maria Fromet as Pierrot and Carina as the little sweep in Oiseau de printemps, hirondelle d'hiver (Georges Denola, 1911). Scripted by E. M. Laumann. Not visible on this card are Pierrot's parents, played by Georges Dorival and Darmody. Auguste Mévisto played the little sweep's master.
The little chimney sweeps, sad winter swallows, fill the streets of Paris with their cries, heralding the arrival of frost. When Pierrot wakes up, he finds a little chimney sweep in his room and, full of joy, starts playing with his unexpected friend. His mother finds him covered in soot, blacker than his new friend, and after scolding him, sends him back to his studies. The poor chimney sweep, back in his hovel, mistreated by his master, remembers the happy hour he spent in Pierrot's house. While his master is sleeping off his wine, he takes to his heels and goes to join his new friend. Meanwhile, instead of learning his lessons, Pierrot wants to play chimney sweep and pulls the lit stove out of the chimney. The poor little boy, succumbing to asphyxiation, would have perished as a victim of his disobedience, had it not been for the providential intervention of the little chimney sweep, who saw the boy lying on the floor through the window. Little Jean, adopted by Pierrot's family, will finally know happy days.
Tarquinio il superbo
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Film d'Arte Italiana, distributed by Pathé Frères. Alfredo Robert as Tarquinius and Fanny Liona as his sister-in-law and mistress Tullia in Tarquin le Superbe/ Tarquinio il superbo (N.N., 1911).
Pushed by his sister-in-law Tullia, Tarquinius vies for the crown of his stepfather, Servius Tullius. After having killed his own wife because of his affair with his sister-in-law, Tarquinius instigates the mob to kill his stepfather, too. Tullia rejoices that her father has been killed and visits Tarquinius to receive the award for her complicity. There really was a King Tarquinius who killed his predecessor and was notorious for his violence, as he also killed many senators who had supported Servius Tullius. Yet, when in later years his son raped the noble Lucretia, who then committed suicide, the whole royal family was kicked out, and Rome became a republic, while the son was eventually assassinated.
Le pickpocket mystifié
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Georges Vinter as the detective Nick Winter in Le pickpocket mystifié (N.N., 1911).
Nick Winter, the astonishing detective, hot on the trail of a clever crook, catches him in a bank where he is robbing a bank clerk's wallet with unparalleled skill and audacity, using a cleverly rigged cane. In an instinctive move, the detective reaches into the thief's pocket, but this gesture makes him look like a thief himself in the eyes of the bank clerk, who calls the police. Nick, handcuffed, is taken to the police station, followed by his thief, who has now become the complainant. But there, the roles are reversed, and the clever policeman has no trouble exposing his adversary.
Marozia
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Film d'Arte Italiana, distributed by Pathé Frères. Vittoria Lepanto in Marozia (Gerolamo Lo Savio, 1910). The wedding of Marozia, with on the left of her the moustached Hugh, King of Italy (unknown actor). The two young men on the right could be Marozia's two sons, Stanislas Ciarli as (Pope) John and Francesco Di Gennaro as Alberico.
Marozia, a Tuscan princess, lives in Rome in the 10th century. Like her mother, Princess Theodora, she holds the Holy See under her control. She has her son Giovanni (John), possibly a son of Pope Sergius III, appointed in place of Albérico (Alberic), her eldest son, whom she hates. The new Pontiff, John XI, celebrates his mother's marriage to Hugh of Provence, King of Italy. A young captain of the people, Jacopo, who is in love with Princess Marozia and driven by jealousy, leads a conspiracy against King Hugh with the complicity of Albérico. Marozia discovers their plot and warns King Hugh, who expels his wife's eldest son from his palace. The latter, distraught by the insult, hastens his revenge, stirs up the Roman people and has his mother and brother imprisoned in the fortress of Saint Angelo. In reality, during the historical uprising by Alberico, right during the wedding festivities of his mother, Hugh managed to flee, but Marozia was imprisoned and died five years later. John was kept as a puppet at the Lateran palace, while Alberico was de facto in power.
Le pot de confitures
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Blémont as Mme Plumeau in Le pot de confitures (Georges Denola, 1911). Not visible are Bach as M. Plumeau, and Madeleine Guitty as the aunt.
Léonce Plumeau receives news at his office that his elderly aunt Ursule is very ill. After expressing his unbridled joy, he writes to his wife to urge her to go immediately to take care of the inheritance and to bring his aunt one of the jars of jam she is making. The aunt welcomes her warmly and shows her the will, which names her as the sole heir. Léontine returns delighted. Immediately after her departure, the aunt, who loves jam, hastens to open the jar and taste its contents, when she notices her nephew's handwriting on the lid. Is it a kind dedication to her? She adjusts her glasses and deciphers a few fragments of sentences: "My dear Léont... I received a telegram... the doctor announces... old spinning top of Aunt Ursule... has decided to pass away... Go there immediately because... to claim her inheritance..." Aunt Ursula, suffocated, has a violent nervous breakdown. A few days later, she dies, leaving her entire fortune to her maid and to her nephew and niece... the jar of jam they so generously gave her.
Max et sa belle-mère
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Pathé Frères. Max Linder, Olga Demidoff, Jacques Vandenne and Paulette Lorsy in Max et sa belle-mère (N.N., 1911).
Max harbours feelings of hostility towards his mother-in-law, feelings shared by all sons-in-law in all civilised countries. When his mother-in-law announces her imminent arrival to her children, Max, furious, enlists the help of the servants to make her stay unbearable. They assist him admirably. Thanks to their zeal, Mother-in-law stumbles from one mishap to another, getting sprayed by the gardener, covered in dust from beaten carpets, and having a bowl of boiling soup dumped on her head. Her bed collapses while she is sleeping. Finally, after a series of unspeakable misadventures, the mother-in-law falls into the clutches of Max's best friend, a real bear, and, bewildered, distraught and bruised, she jumps on the first train leaving, vowing never to return.
La duchessa di Bracciano
Big French photo card by Cinéma Pathé. Photo: Film d'Arte Italiana, distributed by Pathé Frères. Dillo Lombardi as the Duke in La duchessa di Bracciano / La duchesse de Bracciano (N.N., 1911). The Duchess was played by Fanny Liona.
Isabelle Orsini, Duchess of Bracciano, who had many romantic adventures, once again forgets her vows in the absence of her husband, Duke Paolo Giordano Orsini. He learns of her betrayal through an anonymous pamphlet. To discover his rival, he does not shy away from sacrilege and listens, hidden in the shadows of a confessional, to the guilty party's confessions. From then on, Paolo Giordano desires nothing more than revenge. He lures his rival into a trap where the two lovers will meet their deaths.
Source: Fondation Jerome Seydoux Pathé (French). And check out our first post on the 1911 album.
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