Feeding the Doves

Plot

This early Edison documentary short captures a simple pastoral scene on a farm where a woman and a young girl approach the farmyard carrying containers of bird feed. They methodically toss handfuls of feed to the gathered chickens and doves, creating a natural interaction between humans and animals. While most of the chickens remain close to feed on the ground, the doves display more dynamic behavior, occasionally flying away before returning to continue eating. The film serves as a charming slice of rural life, showcasing the everyday activities that would have been familiar to audiences of the time, while also demonstrating the new medium's ability to capture authentic moments of daily existence.

Historical Background

1896 was a pivotal year in cinema history, occurring just one year after the Lumière brothers' first public film screening in Paris. The film industry was in its infancy, with Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers competing to develop and dominate the new technology of motion pictures. In the United States, Edison was aggressively patenting his film technology and producing content to showcase his inventions. This period saw the transition from individual viewing devices like the Kinetoscope to projected films that could entertain larger audiences. The Spanish-American War was looming, and the country was experiencing rapid industrialization and urbanization, making films like 'Feeding the Doves' particularly appealing as they showed pastoral, nostalgic scenes of rural life that many urban audiences were leaving behind.

Making Of

The production of 'Feeding the Doves' took place during the pioneering days of cinema when filmmaking was still experimental. James H. White, working for Thomas Edison's company, would have used the cumbersome Kinetograph camera, which was housed in the Black Maria studio or used on location with portable equipment. The camera was hand-cranked, requiring the operator to maintain a consistent speed throughout filming. The woman and girl in the film were likely local residents or Edison employees rather than professional actors, as professional film acting did not yet exist. The film was shot in natural light, which presented challenges for the early film stock that required significant illumination. The entire process from setup to filming would have taken considerable time compared to modern standards, with each foot of film being precious and expensive.

Visual Style

The cinematography of 'Feeding the Doves' represents the state of the art in 1896 filmmaking. Shot on 35mm film using Edison's Kinetograph camera, the film features a single static camera position, as camera movement had not yet been developed. The composition is straightforward, with the subjects centered in the frame to ensure clear visibility. The exposure would have been challenging due to the outdoor setting and the sensitivity of early film stock. The frame rate of approximately 16 frames per second gives the motion a slightly jerky quality by modern standards. The black and white imagery has the characteristic high contrast of early film, with limited tonal range. Despite these technical limitations, the camera successfully captures the natural movement of both humans and birds, demonstrating the new medium's ability to record reality.

Innovations

While 'Feeding the Doves' may appear simple by modern standards, it represented several technical achievements for its time. The film successfully captured outdoor action using early, cumbersome equipment that was difficult to transport and operate outside the studio. It demonstrated the ability to record both human and animal movement with reasonable clarity, showcasing the potential of motion pictures as a documentary medium. The film's existence shows that Edison's company had solved many of the technical challenges of early filmmaking, including film development, processing, and projection. The preservation of such fleeting moments of everyday life was revolutionary in 1896, representing a significant leap forward in the technology of recording and reproducing reality.

Music

As a silent film produced in 1896, 'Feeding the Doves' had no synchronized soundtrack. During its initial exhibition, the film would have been accompanied by live music, typically a pianist or small ensemble playing popular tunes of the era or improvising appropriate mood music. The musical accompaniment would have been chosen to match the pastoral, gentle nature of the visuals. Some exhibitors might have used sound effects, such as bird calls or farm sounds, to enhance the viewing experience. The Edison company sometimes provided suggested musical cues with their films, though specific documentation for this film's accompaniment has not survived.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening shot where the woman and young girl enter the frame carrying their feed containers, establishing the simple narrative of the film and immediately engaging viewers with the promise of interaction between humans and animals

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception of early films like 'Feeding the Doves' is scarce, as film criticism as a profession did not yet exist. However, trade publications of the era, such as the New York Clipper, occasionally mentioned Edison's new productions in positive terms, marveling at the technology's ability to capture life-like motion. Modern film historians and archivists view these early actuality films as crucial documents of cinema's development, praising their simplicity and authenticity. The film is now appreciated for its historical value rather than its artistic merits, serving as an important artifact showing how early filmmakers experimented with the new medium and what subjects they deemed worthy of recording.

What Audiences Thought

Audiences in 1896 were typically amazed by any moving image, regardless of subject matter. The novelty of seeing lifelike motion on screen was sufficient to entertain viewers, and simple scenes like 'Feeding the Doves' would have been received with wonder and excitement. The film's familiar, wholesome subject matter would have been reassuring to audiences still adjusting to the new technology. Contemporary accounts suggest that audiences particularly enjoyed films showing animals and children, as their natural movements were especially compelling when captured on film. The film would have been shown as part of a program of 10-20 short subjects, with each new film building on the audience's growing fascination with motion pictures.

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