Monkeyshines, No. 2

Plot

Monkeyshines, No. 2 is an experimental short film from 1890 that captures Edison employee Giuseppe Sacco Albanese moving and gesturing in front of an early motion picture camera. The film shows Albanese performing various movements and actions as part of William K.L. Dickson's ongoing tests of the Kinetograph camera system. Like its predecessor, this film was not intended for public exhibition but rather as a technical demonstration to test the capabilities of the new motion picture technology. The subject appears in a dark studio setting, moving his arms and body to create clear motion that could be captured on the celluloid strip. This brief test footage represents one of the earliest surviving examples of American motion picture photography.

Historical Background

Monkeyshines, No. 2 was created during the very dawn of motion picture technology, a time when cinema was not yet an art form or entertainment medium but a scientific curiosity. The year 1890 found America in the Gilded Age, a period of rapid industrialization and technological innovation. Thomas Edison was already a national hero for his inventions, and his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, was a hub of cutting-edge research. Motion pictures were being developed simultaneously by multiple inventors worldwide, including the Lumière brothers in France and others. In the United States, Edison's team was racing to perfect a commercially viable system. These early experiments predated the first public motion picture exhibitions by several years - Edison's Kinetoscope would not be demonstrated to the public until 1893, and the first Kinetoscope parlor would not open until 1894. The film represents the transition from still photography to moving images, a technological leap that would revolutionize visual communication and entertainment.

Making Of

The making of Monkeyshines, No. 2 represents a pivotal moment in cinema history, occurring during William K.L. Dickson's intensive experiments with motion picture technology at Thomas Edison's laboratory. Dickson, working under Edison's direction, had been developing the Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewing system since the late 1880s. The filming process was rudimentary by modern standards - the camera was enormous and noisy, requiring the subject to remain relatively still while the mechanism operated. Giuseppe Sacco Albanese, an Edison employee of Italian descent, volunteered to be the subject for these crucial tests. The filming likely took place in a darkened room or the early version of what would become the Black Maria studio, with special lighting arrangements to compensate for the low sensitivity of early film stock. Each test required careful preparation and immediate processing to determine whether the motion had been successfully captured. These experiments were conducted without any audience in mind, purely as scientific and technical tests to advance the medium.

Visual Style

The cinematography of Monkeyshines, No. 2 represents the most basic form of motion picture photography, using the prototype horizontal-feed Kinetograph camera developed by William K.L. Dickson. The camera used a continuous film feed mechanism that was revolutionary for its time, allowing for longer sequences than earlier attempts at motion pictures. The film was shot on 1 3/8 inch celluloid stock at approximately 16 frames per second, which would become the standard for early silent films. The lighting was rudimentary, requiring bright illumination to compensate for the low sensitivity of early film emulsions. The framing is static, as the camera could not move during filming, and the composition centers on the subject to maximize visibility of the motion being tested. The visual quality shows the limitations of early film technology, with poor contrast and definition compared to later standards. Despite these technical limitations, the cinematography successfully captured clear movement, which was the primary objective of the test.

Innovations

Monkeyshines, No. 2 represents several significant technical achievements in the development of motion picture technology. The film successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of the horizontal-feed Kinetograph camera, which used a continuous loop of film rather than the stop-and-go mechanisms of earlier devices. The camera's ability to capture smooth motion at approximately 16 frames per second was a major breakthrough. The film also proved the viability of celluloid as a medium for recording moving images, establishing a foundation for the entire film industry. The successful processing and preservation of the footage demonstrated that motion pictures could be recorded, developed, and stored for future viewing. These experiments also helped establish optimal exposure times and lighting requirements for motion picture photography. The technical knowledge gained from creating Monkeyshines, No. 2 directly contributed to Edison's later commercial successes with the Kinetoscope system.

Music

Monkeyshines, No. 2 was created as a silent film during the era before synchronized sound technology existed. Like all films of this period, it was intended to be viewed without any accompanying soundtrack. The film predates Edison's experiments with sound film by several decades. When the film is shown today in museums or archives, it may be accompanied by period-appropriate music or silence, depending on the presentation context. The original viewing experience would have been completely silent, with only the mechanical noise of the Kinetoscope viewer during playback. No musical score or sound effects were ever created for this experimental footage, as its purpose was purely technical rather than entertainment.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening sequence showing Giuseppe Sacco Albanese standing and moving his arms, demonstrating the camera's ability to capture human motion in one of the earliest American motion pictures.

What Critics Said

As an experimental test film, Monkeyshines, No. 2 received no contemporary critical reception, as it was never shown to the public or critics. The film was created purely for internal technical evaluation at Edison's laboratory. Modern film historians and critics, however, recognize it as a crucial document in cinema history. Scholars view it as an essential artifact for understanding the technical development of motion pictures and the early methods used by Edison and Dickson. The film is frequently cited in academic works about early cinema and is studied for its technical rather than artistic merits. Contemporary appreciation focuses on its historical importance rather than any entertainment value, with critics noting how such humble beginnings led to the sophisticated art form cinema would become.

What Audiences Thought

Monkeyshines, No. 2 was never shown to audiences during its time, as it was an internal technical test film created before Edison had developed his commercial exhibition systems. The film predates the invention of the Kinetoscope viewer and the opening of the first motion picture theaters by several years. Modern audiences can view the film through archives and museums, where it is typically presented with educational context about its historical significance. Contemporary viewers often express fascination with seeing one of the earliest moving images ever created, though the content itself is simple by modern standards. The film serves as a time capsule, allowing modern audiences to witness the very first steps in the development of cinema technology.

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