Barcelona by Tram
About Barcelona by Tram
A camera rides a Barcelona tram. The view runs along Passeig de Gràcia, past the Casa Milà, then through Gràcia, the plaça de Lesseps, Avinguda de la República Argentina, and Carrer Craywinckel. Horse carriages, bicycles, and people on the sidewalks pass the lens. Pedestrians who had read that the tram was coming stop to wave.
Cast & crew
More about Barcelona by Tram
Ricardo de Baños directed the actuality for Hispano Films. His brother Ramon worked as cameraman with him. The Metropolitan Cinemaway commissioned it, with Valencia by Tram and From Málaga to Vélez-Málaga, through Domènec Comamala. A Barcelona local-history note, citing contemporary papers, dates the shooting to 25 April 1909. Some copies are labeled 1908.
Themes
Background
The ride records the Eixample and Gràcia streets at the end of the 1900s, with electric trams already sharing the road with horses.
Making
De Baños had trained as a cameraman at Gaumont in Paris before he and Albert Marro set up Hispano Films in Barcelona.
Look
Ricardo de Baños and Ramon de Baños filmed from the tram itself, so Passeig de Gràcia and the unfinished Casa Milà slide past in one traveling view.
Preservation
The Filmoteca Española digitized a print of the tram ride.
Notes
- The Catalan and Spanish titles include Barcelona en tramvia and Barcelona en tranvía.
- Casa Milà had been under construction for two years when the tram passed it.
- The Filmoteca Española later digitized a print.
- Newspaper notices of the shooting brought crowds out to greet the camera.
Scenes
- Passers-by along the announced route turn and wave at the tram.