Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894)

Stepping into the realm of earliest sound cinema, 'Dickson Experimental Sound Film' (1894) unfurls a captivating tableau from history. The film features William K.L. Dickson, standing against the backdrop of a colossal sound pickup horn, the umbilical cord to a revolutionary Thomas Edison phonograph recorder. As the melody from Dickson's violin permeates the air, two men engage in a mesmerizing dance in the foreground. This intriguing spectacle was a showcase of Edison's cutting-edge invention, the Kinetophone, a fusion of Kinetoscope peepshow viewers and wax cylinder phonographs. Despite the film's innovative approach, the Kinetophone failed to capture the public's imagination and the film never saw the light of commercial release. The film continues to exist as a celluloid relic, although its original phonograph soundtrack was thought to be lost to the annals of time. However, the auditory essence was later discovered, preserved within an antique Edisonian recording cylinder. This precious artifact underwent meticulous restoration before Walter Murch ACE MPSE, in 2002, expertly synced the film to the music, resurrecting the film's sonic soul. This remarkable piece of cinematographic history, condensed into an entrancing 17 seconds, offers a unique glimpse into the dawn of sound in film.

Dickson Experimental Sound Film is a music movie featuring William K.L. Dickson and directed by William Heise.

Dickson Experimental Sound Film is currently streaming on Fandor.