Alfred Camille Abadie (December 9, 1878 â€" January 1, 1950) was an
American photographer and pioneer filmmaker who worked for Thomas
Edison. He specialized in actuality films, a predecessor to the
standard form of documentary. In 2019, Abadie's Emigrants Landing at
Ellis Island was included in the annual selection of 25 motion
pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of
Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant" and recommended for preservation. The two minute film was
the first to record a ferryboat docking at Ellis Island with dozens of
passengers disembarking.A New York City native, Abadie began as camera
assistant to James H. White at the Edison Studio around 1898. In 1903,
Edison sent Abadie to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to make
actuality films. This is thought to possibly have been an attempt to
keep up with similar subjects popularized by the Lumières. Abadie
returned to the United States and kept making similar films for Edison
through at least 1904. After leaving Edison, Abadie continued to work
as a freelance filmmaker and photographer. He made educational and
industrial films, including Birth (1917), which is the first film of
the birth of a baby.
American photographer and pioneer filmmaker who worked for Thomas
Edison. He specialized in actuality films, a predecessor to the
standard form of documentary. In 2019, Abadie's Emigrants Landing at
Ellis Island was included in the annual selection of 25 motion
pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of
Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant" and recommended for preservation. The two minute film was
the first to record a ferryboat docking at Ellis Island with dozens of
passengers disembarking.A New York City native, Abadie began as camera
assistant to James H. White at the Edison Studio around 1898. In 1903,
Edison sent Abadie to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to make
actuality films. This is thought to possibly have been an attempt to
keep up with similar subjects popularized by the Lumières. Abadie
returned to the United States and kept making similar films for Edison
through at least 1904. After leaving Edison, Abadie continued to work
as a freelance filmmaker and photographer. He made educational and
industrial films, including Birth (1917), which is the first film of
the birth of a baby.
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