Auguste and Louis Light

Auguste Marie Louis Nicholas Lumière (October 19th 1862 with Besancon - April 10th 1954) and Louis Jean Lumière (October 5th 1864 with Besancon - June 6th 1948) is two Engineer S which played a central role in the Histoire of the cinema and of the photography. It is often refers to them like the brothers Lumière .

They are the wire of the industrialist and Photographe Antoine Lumière.

Real invention

Although they did not invent the Cinématographe, creation of Leon Bouly in 1892, they are nevertheless the inventors of the commercial exploitation of cinematography in cinemas in 1895.

In this respect, the filmic production, noncommercial, and proto-cinematographic of Louis the Prince, inventor of film and first realizer of the history in 1888, is not recognized as being cinematographic.

Decisive meeting with the World Fair of Paris

They meet, with Thomas Alva Edison and Georges Méliès, the inventor Emile Reynaud and his optical Théâtre (machine very similar to the cinematograph, but used for the Cartoon) at the time of the World Fair of Paris. A photograph exists where one sees all these characters around a table. It is certainly a decisive event in the decision of purchase of the patent of Bouly, the Cinematograph Leon Bouly.

The public projection of 1895

The first public projection of the Cinématographe by the Lumière brothers took place the September 28th 1895 with Ciotat in the first room of Cinéma of the world the Eden which always exists. This projection was made three months before the Exit of the Lumière factory in Lyon which was projected like inaugural demonstration with the Indian Salon of the Large Coffee to Paris, on December 28th, 1895, the film being turned by the two brothers. Georges Méliès, which attended projection as a simple spectator accepted his very first inspiration there.

The complete program of the historical meeting of Paris included/understood 10 films all produced in 1895:

the Exit of the factory Light in Lyon
the Stunt-flying
Fishing with red fish
the Unloading of the congress of photography in Lyon
the Blacksmiths
the Sprinkler sprinkled
the Meal of baby
the Jump with the cover
the Place of Cordeliers in Lyon
the Sea (Bathe at sea)

As opposed to what some think the Arrival of a train in station of Ciotat was not projected this day.

Quickly, the Lumière brothers include/understand the interest to collect images of the world thus and to show them thanks to the cinematograph.

Other inventions

Auguste and Louis Lumière developed and marketed the first industrial process of photography color: the Autochrome .

The Light were touch-with-all. They also invented the dry photographic plate, photography color (1896), that the Photostéréosynthèse (proceeded of Photographie in relief, 1920) and the Cinéma in relief in 1935 (by the process of the Anaglyphe S). They also improved the Maltese cross, system which makes it possible a reel to intermittently advance. This invention is always used nowadays.

They accepted the decoration of the Francisque in 1941.

Their castle, located close to their old factories, in the 8th district of Lyon, is a museum of the cinema today: the Institute Light.

Collaboration

The March 22nd 1935, Louis sends his photograph dedicated to Rome: " With its Excellence Benito Mussolini with the expression of my deep admiration". In a catalog of the secretariat of the Fascistic University Groups, it evokes “the friendship which links our two countries and which a community of origin cannot miss increasing in the future”.

The November 15th 1940, it writes, in Small Comtois:

“It would be a great fault of refusing the mode of collaboration about which the Pétain marshal spoke in his admirable messages. Auguste Lumière, my brother, in pages where he exalte incomparable prestige, untamed courage, the youthful heat of the Pétain Marshal and his direction of realities which must save the fatherland, wrote: " So that the era so much desired of European harmony occurs, it is necessary obviously, that the conditions imposed by the winner do not leave a leaven of hostility irreducible to him. But no one could better achieve this goal only our admirable Head of State, helped by Pierre Laval who already gave us so many evidence of his perspicacity, his skill and his devotion to truths interests of the pays". I share this manner of seeing. I entirely make mienne this declaration. ”

Auguste Lumière sat at the municipal council of Lyon set up by Vichy in 1941 (it was however almost never present there). In July 1941, it belonged to the committee of patronage of the Légion of the French Volunteers created on the initiative of the French Popular party (PF) of Jacques Doriot. It thus put “its notoriety of inventor at the service of the collaboration armed with the enemy who plundered, tortured, off-set, shot…”

In 1995, for the celebration of the centenary of the invention of the cinema, Banque de France desired to honor the brothers Light by a ticket with their effigy. Friendly of the Networks Action of France Fighting protested: “The Lumière brothers inspire deep to us mistook. They cannot be honoured without outrager the victims with collaboration. ” With the meeting of the July 24th 1995 of the Municipal council of Lyon, Bruno Gollnisch, professor at the university Lyon III which represents the National front, declares: “After Alexis Carrel, it is thus of new figures illustrating the Lyons genius which are thus attacked. ”

The impression of the tickets was cancelled for fact of Collaboration. However, for Pascal Ory, the support of the Lumières brothers for the Vichy government did not exceed “the stage of one or two declarations with the press. ”

It is in addition important to note that they were pressed during long years on a particularly faithful collaborator whose role was major, the chemist Alphonse Seyewetz, who was of Jewish confession.

University of Lyon II (University Light)
Bioscope
School Louis-Light