Conference: The magic lantern

The magic lantern is considered to be the ancestor of cinema. More than just a simple invention for projecting light images, this machine invented in the 17th century inaugurated a new kind of spectacle: phantasmagoria. Made from drawings painted on glass plates, it amazed as much as it frightened.

This talk will trace the origins of the cinematographic language by tracing the history of the magic lantern and evoking its success through the projection of authentic plates from previous centuries; luminous images that have retained all their poetic and magical power for today's spectators.