Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge is one of the few surviving films made by the inventor of cinema, Louis Le Prince. Le Prince mysterious disappearance before getting a patent for his invention caused the loss of practically all his productions, which he had taken on a train with him, therefore we will never know the full extension of his works; fortunately a few fragments of his films survived in his workshop, including the title we are reviewing. Probably this film was originally a little bit longer, but we can only see two seconds of the picture which consists on a fixed view of a bridge in the town of Leeds, the camera captured the people walking and the carriages pulled by horses. All that people never knew they were being recorded and that other people would be seeing them hundreds of years in the future, how could imagine such a thing was possible in those years? very few persons and Le Prince was one of them.
Despite its short length the film is a very valuable historical document, we are seeing one of the most important cities in the world in those years, Leeds, watching things just as they unfolded on a day of 1888. Also, as in every Le Prince film, this title offers a new element that was used for the first time in the annals of cinematography; in this case the first time that an film was made on exteriors. It is a very old film, and therefore it can't be judged under the same standards than other pictures, but every true fan of the seventh art should watch this film in order to witness the first steps of a marvelous invention. If you visit the city of Leeds today you'll find a plaque marking the exact point were Le Prince placed his camera to make this shots, it is great that the city of Leeds proudly remembers that it is the place were cinema was invented, and it is great that they honor Le Prince, we all should, for his invention he deserves our eternal gratitude.
Despite its short length the film is a very valuable historical document, we are seeing one of the most important cities in the world in those years, Leeds, watching things just as they unfolded on a day of 1888. Also, as in every Le Prince film, this title offers a new element that was used for the first time in the annals of cinematography; in this case the first time that an film was made on exteriors. It is a very old film, and therefore it can't be judged under the same standards than other pictures, but every true fan of the seventh art should watch this film in order to witness the first steps of a marvelous invention. If you visit the city of Leeds today you'll find a plaque marking the exact point were Le Prince placed his camera to make this shots, it is great that the city of Leeds proudly remembers that it is the place were cinema was invented, and it is great that they honor Le Prince, we all should, for his invention he deserves our eternal gratitude.