A Sea Cave Near Lisbon (1896) User Reviews

I could write anything and it would be years before anyone found out...

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 19 November 2009]

Robert Paul is a largely forgotten name today, but he was a major pioneer of British cinema, and was quick to grasp the commercial potential of cinema in ways that better known pioneers such as William Friese-Greene were not. He was more of a mechanic than a filmmaker making, with Birt Acres, his own camera on which to shoot films in 1895, and also Britain's first projector, the Animatograph, with which to screen them in 1896. Early in the 20th century he had a custom-made studio built in Muswell Hill.

This film, so short it barely qualifies for the title, is a good early example of how a dramatically framed shot can enhance a film. It's filmed from within a cave, the entrance of which serves as a frame for the waves that crash over rocks before flowing into the cave. Beyond the rocks, the horizon can be glimpsed.

Robert Paul

[boblipton · 7/10 · 4 April 2021]

Robert Paul was an early British pioneer in films, building his own cameras and projectors in 1895, opening his own studio in the beginning of the 2th century. This early film, shot by Henry Short,floreat 1895-1897, is pretty much described by its title. It's short, only a few seconds, but is an interesting study in composition and movement; the outline of the cave provides the composition, the breaking water the movement.

Given the early date, no one was sure what the new motion pictures would turn out to be, so pieces like this, an extension of photography, would be common, eventually settling in to rules and understandings of how to shoot shots.

Why's it so brief? Oh duh, it was directed by Henry SHORT!!

[Tornado_Sam · 13 December 2017]

Shot at Boca del Inferno, Hell's Mouth, in Portugal, "A Sea Cave Near Lisbon" not only received positive reviews, it also was a favorite with audiences. Since audiences loved any old film just so long as it showed movement, it's easy to see why due to people back then loving films with waves. Directed by Henry Short, a cinematographer who worked for Robert Paul himself, the film really must have effected audiences. While not much happens at all you can't be bored as it's only 13 secs. The fact it's a moment in time makes it an interesting watch for silent film lovers.