The Last Cartridges (French: Les Dernières Cartouches, also released as Bombardement d'une Maison; Star Film Catalogue no. 105) is an 1897 French short silent war film directed by Georges Méliès, based on the 1873 painting of the same name by Alphonse de Neuville.[1] The film recreates the defense of a house at Bazeilles on 1 September 1870 at the Battle of Sedan during the Franco-Prussian War.
The Last Cartridges | |
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Directed by | Georges Méliès |
Produced by | Star Film Company |
Distributed by | Star Film Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 1min 11secs |
Country | France |
Languages | Silent French intertitles |
The film was a great success and inspired the Lumière, Pathé and Gaumont studios to film imitations.[2]
Synopsis
editA group of soldiers attempt to defend a derelict house, where a nun cares for their wounded, but the house is bombed as they fire the last of the rounds of ammunition they have gathered from the floor.
References
edit- ^ Malthête, Jacques (1997). Georges Méliès, l'illusionniste fin de siècle?. Paris: Presses de la Sorbonne nouvelle. p. 80.
- ^ "A brief History: Bombardement d'une maison". Europa Film Treasures. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
External links
edit- The Last Cartridges at IMDb
- SilentEra entry for Lumiere version, stating this was one of the earliest hand-coloured films
- The Last Cartridges is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive