William Tell
"A Magnificent Historical Legend in Five Artistic Tableaux"
Plot
This early silent masterpiece presents the legendary Swiss hero William Tell across five distinct dramatic tableaux. The narrative begins with Tell's act of heroism, assisting a peasant's escape from Austrian soldiers, followed by the secret gathering of Swiss patriots who take a solemn oath of resistance. The central conflict arises in the village square where Tell is arrested for refusing to salute the hat of the tyrannical Governor Gessler, leading to the iconic test where he must shoot an apple off his son's head. After successfully completing the feat but being detained regardless, Tell eventually escapes and assassinates Gessler with a crossbow bolt. The film concludes with a grand celebration as the Swiss people hail their liberator amidst a picturesque mountain landscape.
Director
About the Production
The film was marketed as a 'Légende historique en 5 tableaux.' Pathé Frères utilized their sophisticated studio resources to create elaborate painted backdrops that aimed to replicate the 'beautiful and picturesque sites' of Switzerland. The production was part of Pathé's effort to move beyond simple 'actualities' into complex multi-shot narrative fiction. It was specifically designed to showcase the artistic capabilities of their scene-painters and stage technicians.
Historical Background
In 1903, the film industry was transitioning from 'the cinema of attractions' (short, disconnected clips) to 'narrative cinema.' Pathé Frères was becoming the largest film equipment and production company in the world, often referred to as the 'Napoleon of Cinema.' This film was produced during a period of intense French nationalism and a burgeoning interest in historical 'film d'art' that sought to elevate cinema to the status of traditional theatre and literature. The story of William Tell, a symbol of resistance against tyranny, resonated with European audiences during a time of shifting political alliances and the rise of republican ideals.
Why This Film Matters
The film is a landmark in the development of the historical drama genre. By adapting a prestigious literary source like Schiller, Pathé helped legitimize cinema as a medium for high culture. It also demonstrated the commercial viability of 'multi-shot' narratives, proving that audiences could follow a story across multiple scenes. Its international distribution helped establish French cinema as the dominant global force in the pre-WWI era.
Making Of
The production was a collaboration between director Lucien Nonguet and the renowned set designer Vincent Lorant-Heilbronn. Lorant-Heilbronn was instrumental in establishing the 'Pathé style,' which favored grand, operatic sets and historical accuracy in costume. The filming took place in the 'theatre' studio of Pathé, where the 'scene-painters were able to have a free run on their imaginations.' The technical challenge involved coordinating the large cast of extras for the final 'Swiss cheer' scene within the limited space of the studio stage. Segundo de Chomón, who would later become a legendary filmmaker in his own right, oversaw the painstaking frame-by-frame coloring process in his Spanish laboratory.
Visual Style
The cinematography, handled by Nonguet himself, is characterized by the 'single, unified viewpoint' typical of early 1900s cinema. Each shot is a wide-angle 'tableau' with no camera movement, pans, or close-ups. The depth of the frame is utilized by having actors move from the background to the foreground, a technique known as 'staging in depth.'
Innovations
The film's primary technical achievement was its sophisticated use of the stencil-coloring process, which allowed for consistent and vibrant colors across multiple prints. It also utilized early intertitles to bridge the narrative gaps between the five scenes, a crucial step in the development of film language.
Music
As a silent film, there was no recorded soundtrack. However, it was common for theaters to provide live accompaniment. In larger venues, a small orchestra or a pianist would often play excerpts from Gioachino Rossini's 'William Tell Overture' to synchronize with the dramatic beats of the film.
Memorable Scenes
- The Apple Shot: William Tell is forced by Gessler to aim his crossbow at an apple resting on his son's head while the village square watches in hushed anticipation.
- The Swiss Oath: A group of patriots gather in a mountain clearing to swear a solemn oath of unity against their oppressors.
- The Death of Gessler: Tell ambushes the tyrant Gessler on a narrow mountain path, delivering justice with a single arrow.
Did You Know?
- This is considered the first serious cinematographic adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's 1804 play 'Wilhelm Tell.'
- While Georges Méliès made a film titled 'Adventures of William Tell' in 1898, it was a slapstick farce involving a clown and a dummy, making Nonguet's version the first narrative historical treatment.
- The film was hand-colored using the stencil process (pochoir) by the workshop of Segundo de Chomón in Barcelona.
- It was distributed in the United States in 1904 by several major entities, including the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Lubin Manufacturing Company.
- The film is structured in 'tableaux,' a style where each scene is a single, static wide shot resembling a theatrical stage production.
- The actor Edmond Boutillon, who played Gessler, was a frequent collaborator in early Pathé historical dramas.
- The film's length of 145 meters was considered a significant production for 1903, as most films were still under 100 meters.
- The intertitles were used to introduce three of the five scenes, a relatively early use of text to guide narrative flow.
What Critics Said
At the time of its release, the film was praised for its 'artistic character' and 'magnificent scenes.' Trade catalogues of the era highlighted the 'picturesque and grandiose' nature of the sets. Modern film historians view it as a key example of the 'tableau' style of filmmaking, noting its importance in the evolution of narrative structure, though some contemporary critics find the static camera work and theatrical acting style to be a product of its time.
What Audiences Thought
The film was highly popular and widely distributed across Europe and North America. Audiences in 1903 were particularly impressed by the hand-colored versions, which provided a level of spectacle rarely seen in early cinema. The 'Apple Shot' scene was a major draw, as it brought a well-known legend to life with a sense of realism that still felt magical to early 20th-century viewers.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- Friedrich Schiller's play 'Wilhelm Tell' (1804)
- Gioachino Rossini's opera 'Guillaume Tell' (1829)
- Traditional Swiss folklore
This Film Influenced
- William Tell (1913)
- The Story of William Tell (1949)
- The early historical epics of the 1910s
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Film Restoration
The film is preserved and exists in several film archives, including the Pathé Archive and the Library of Congress. Hand-colored versions have been restored and are occasionally screened at silent film festivals.