The Australian-based Marvellous Corrick Family Entertainers were a variety act comprised of New Zealanders Albert and Sarah Corrick and their eight children. From 1897 to 1914 they toured Australasia and South-East Asia. Their two-hour shows were a multimedia extravaganza of vocal and instrumental pieces, bell-ringing, dancing, comedy sketches, poetry recitals and – a precursor to karaoke – singalongs using illustrated lantern slides. Keen to stay ahead of the competition, in 1901 the Corricks introduced a short film programme into their show. After the family ceased touring their film stock was stored in Sarah Corrick’s garage and later donated to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA); the nitrate prints have survived in excellent condition and were restored photochemically in the early 2000s (and again digitally in 2021). The Corrick Collection comprises 135 titles with an overwhelming majority of French productions from the years 1904-1909, many of them unique prints and many of them beautifully coloured, such as the hand-coloured Guillaume Tell. The two first items in our programme probably featured in the Corrick show as part of the Trip Round the World film series.
Lucien Nonguet appears to have directed or co-directed all of the biggest Pathé productions of 1903, among them re-enactments of actualities such as the lost L’Assassinat de la famille royale de Serbie or La Mort du Pape Léon and several impressive scènes historiques such as Guillaume Tell, Don Quichotte and Épopée napoléonienne. The latter two were originally 430 metres long, well over 20 minutes; Don Quichotte subsequently seems to have been re-edited in a shorter 230 metres version in black and white.
We have inserted as an intermezzo, two amateur films shot in Germany by one Julius Neubronner on 17.5mm as a reminder that in parallel to the official history of international production companies with their worldwide distribution there runs a thread of private and local film, always, from the very beginning. Would you hesitate if you had to choose between Napoleon and Mr. Moren, the dancing bank employee?

Mariann Lewinsky and Karl Wratschko