This film is part of Free
Phantom Ride - Chamonix
Admire the view but don't look down, as this short film takes you on a breathtaking trip through the Alps
Overview
Phantom rides were a popular early-film trick - fix a camera to the front or back of a moving vehicle and give the audience the sensation of travel, as well as taking in some exotic or picturesque scenery. Here the thrill factor is ramped up because the camera is on a train snaking around Chamonix, Switzerland, with a steep Alpine slope inches away from the tracks. The landscape is stunning, with mountains, waterfalls and forests, all of which emphasise the scale of the drop.
Robert W Paul was one of Britain's earliest filmmakers, whose production company pioneered many new techniques. Paul was a successful instrument-maker by trade and became the co-inventor of the country's first moving-picture camera in 1896. He built a studio in London's Muswell Hill in 1898 and continued to make films there until around 1910, when he turned his focus back to instruments and military technology. This film was made by his company, Paul's Animatograph Works.
Related
Conway Castle - panoramic view of Conway on the L.& N.W. Railway Conway Castle - panoramic view of Conway on the L.& N.W. Railway
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Conwy Castle
Conwy's bridge, castle and station glide past, as if in a dream, in this beautiful phantom train ride film (no ghosts but apparently no train either) from 1898.
Tram Journey through Southampton Tram Journey through Southampton
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
A moving tour through lively turn-of-the-century Southampton.
Churned Waters Churned Waters
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins Silent
A hypnotic study of the wake of a ship at sea
Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3 Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent
An unusual view of Paris, shot from a boat travelling down the Seine. You can even see the Eiffel tower - almost!
Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge
Non-Fiction 1897 5 mins Silent Location: Tay Bridge
Stunning train's eye views across the Tay rail bridge from Fife to Dundee
A Steamship Passes By A Steamship Passes By
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins
With energetic waving of handkerchiefs to those on shore, a large steamship heads off
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.