This film was French directer Ferdinand Zecca's first true masterpiece. It is a very impressive film for 1901 for several reasons. First of all, it was made before Méliès's "A Trip to the Moon" which is considered one of the most important early films because of its length and story-telling. However, "History of a Crime" is proof that before Méliès's film other filmmakers were also trying to make films with a plot. While the plot here is simple, it is told in seven different scenes and there is some gore and violence too!
The story here is about a man murdering a guy and robbing his safe. He's caught though and condemned to death. The highlight in the whole film is the jail cell scene because here we actually get some background about the robber's past. The ending where the man's head is chopped off via guillotine has some interest. Supposedly, I've read that they'd stop playing the film and let all the women and children out of the theater before the guy's head came off!
Extremely ground-breaking for 1901. Anyone interested in the history of movies should see it.
The story here is about a man murdering a guy and robbing his safe. He's caught though and condemned to death. The highlight in the whole film is the jail cell scene because here we actually get some background about the robber's past. The ending where the man's head is chopped off via guillotine has some interest. Supposedly, I've read that they'd stop playing the film and let all the women and children out of the theater before the guy's head came off!
Extremely ground-breaking for 1901. Anyone interested in the history of movies should see it.