Writing Backwards

Plot

In this short film from cinema's earliest days, French entertainer Félicien Trewey demonstrates his remarkable talent for mirror writing before the camera. Standing before a large board, Trewey takes a piece of chalk and writes the words 'Ladies and gentlemen, my grateful thanks' backwards, which appears as normal writing when viewed through a mirror. The entire performance is captured in a single continuous shot, showcasing both the novelty of moving pictures and Trewey's unique skill. The film concludes with Trewey completing his message and stepping back to display his work to the camera, creating what was then considered a marvel of both human ability and cinematic recording.

Historical Background

1896 was a pivotal year in the birth of cinema, occurring just one year after the Lumière brothers' first public screening in Paris on December 28, 1895. This period saw the rapid spread of cinematograph technology across Europe and beyond, with the Lumières training cameramen and sending them worldwide to capture scenes of daily life and entertainment. The film emerged during the Belle Époque in France, a time of great cultural and artistic innovation in Paris. Entertainment was moving from traditional theaters to new forms like music halls and café-concerts, where performers like Trewey thrived. The industrial revolution had created a new urban working class with leisure time and money to spend on entertainment, creating demand for the novel attractions that early cinema provided. This film also reflects the 19th-century fascination with human oddities and special skills, which were popular attractions at circuses, sideshows, and variety performances.

Making Of

The making of 'Writing Backwards' represents a fascinating intersection of 19th-century entertainment and emerging cinema technology. Louis Lumière, recognizing the public appeal of novelty acts, recruited Félicien Trewey, one of Paris's most popular music hall performers, to demonstrate his signature mirror writing trick for the camera. The filming process would have been remarkably simple by modern standards - Trewey performed his act once while Lumière operated the hand-cranked Cinématographe. The entire production likely took no more than a few minutes to set up and shoot, yet it required precise coordination between performer and cameraman. The Lumières understood that their new medium could capture and preserve these fleeting moments of human skill for audiences who might never see such performances live. This film was part of their strategy to create a catalog of diverse short films that could be mixed and matched for different exhibition programs.

Visual Style

The cinematography of 'Writing Backwards' is characteristic of early Lumière films - a single, stationary camera positioned to capture the action in its entirety. The camera was likely placed at eye level with Trewey, ensuring optimal visibility of his performance. The composition is straightforward yet effective, with Trewey centered in the frame and the writing board clearly visible. The lighting would have been natural daylight, creating soft, even illumination that was necessary for the slow film stock of the era. The camera work demonstrates the Lumières' understanding of basic visual principles even in these experimental stages. There are no camera movements or cuts, as editing technology had not yet been developed. The frame is stable and focused, showing the technical proficiency achieved with the Cinématographe. The black and white image quality, while grainy by modern standards, was remarkably clear for 1896 and successfully captures the details of Trewey's writing.

Innovations

'Writing Backwards' showcases several important technical achievements of early cinema. The film was shot on 35mm film using the Lumière Cinématographe, which was remarkable for its time as it combined camera, developer, and projector in one device. The film runs at approximately 16 frames per second, the standard speed for early cinema. The ability to capture clear, stable images of fine detail like writing was a significant technical accomplishment in 1896. The Cinématographe's intermittent movement mechanism, which allowed for smooth projection, was a major innovation over earlier devices. The film also demonstrates the early use of close framing to ensure visibility of the main action, showing an understanding of how to best present content for the new medium. The preservation of the film for over 125 years is itself a testament to the quality of early film stock and the importance placed on these pioneering works.

Music

Like all films of 1896, 'Writing Backwards' was originally silent, as synchronized sound technology would not be developed for another 30 years. During initial exhibitions, the film would have been accompanied by live music, typically a pianist or small orchestra playing popular tunes of the era. The music was chosen to match the mood and pace of the action on screen - for this film, likely something light and entertaining. Some exhibitors might have provided sound effects or narration, particularly for films with clear action like this one. In modern presentations, the film is sometimes accompanied by period-appropriate music or newly composed scores that attempt to recreate the atmosphere of 1890s cinema exhibitions. The absence of synchronized sound meant that visual storytelling had to be completely self-contained, which influenced the straightforward, demonstrative nature of early films like this one.

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception of 'Writing Backwards' is largely undocumented, as film criticism as we know it did not exist in 1896. However, early cinema programs were reviewed in newspapers and magazines, which typically focused on the novelty of the technology rather than individual films. The film would have been appreciated primarily for its demonstration of both the Cinématographe's ability to capture fine detail and Trewey's remarkable skill. Modern film historians and scholars view the film as an important example of early cinema's relationship with vaudeville and music hall traditions. Critics note how it exemplifies the Lumière brothers' approach of filming actual performances rather than creating staged narratives. The film is often cited in discussions about the initial purposes of cinema - whether as a scientific tool, a novelty attraction, or an art form. Today, it is recognized as a valuable document of both early filmmaking techniques and 19th-century popular culture.

What Audiences Thought

Audiences in 1896 were reportedly amazed by 'Writing Backwards' and similar films, as they represented a completely new form of entertainment. The ability to see a performer's unique skill preserved and replayed was considered magical by viewers who had never experienced moving images before. Contemporary accounts suggest that audiences reacted with gasps and applause to films like this, marveling at both the technology and the performance. The film would have been particularly impressive because mirror writing was already a known novelty act, but seeing it captured by the Cinématographe added another layer of wonder. Early cinema audiences were accustomed to live performances, so the concept of recorded entertainment was revolutionary. The film's brevity was typical for the era, as audiences watched programs of many short films rather than single features. Modern audiences viewing the film today often express fascination with its historical significance and the window it provides into Victorian-era entertainment.

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