Hammerfest (1903) [N/A]
Directed by:
Robert W. Paul
Release Date:
July 18, 1903
Original Title:
Hammerfest
Alternate Titles:
Norway Revisited with the Animatograph: Panorama of Hammerfest
Panorama of Hammerfest
Genres:
Documentary
Production Countries:
Norway | United Kingdom
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 1
A panorama shot of the Norwegian town and harbour of Hammerfest. Believed to be the earliest surviving film of Norway.
This one-minute short is little more than a long-distance pan shot of the harbor at Hammerfest. It looks like it was taken from a hill or perhaps from atop a high building nearby. As the camera turns to provide the full range of the vision, you can see the hesitancy of the cameraman -- it was hard to move one of those big, clunky early cameras and keep cranking.Nonetheless, there is a certain idyllic quality about the whole proceedings. It was apparently early in the morning when it was shot and only a few people can be seen walking about the street; only two vessels are moving in the harbor. Without those few incidents, you could believe this a model, made to illustrate someone's idea of a perfect harbor district.
