Seven Ages, The

Synopsis

Fiction short. A depiction of the seven ages of Man in eight tableaux. The titles are: Infancy, Playmates, Schoolmates, Lovers, The Soldier, The Judge, Second Childhood and What Age? (showing an old woman alone with her cat).

Country

United States

Medium

Film

Technical information

Black-and-white / Silent

Year of release

1905

Recording date

23 Feb 1905

Duration

500 feet

Credits

Director

Edwin S. Porter

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

As You Like It

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes

The copy held by the BFI National Archive is incomplete (205ft) - the four tableaux available being The Judge, Lovers, The Soldier, and Second Childhood.

Available for sale from Amazon.com within the compilation EDISON: THE INVENTION OF THE MOVIES.

General

It is surmised that the film was inspired by a series of lantern slides entitled Shakespeare’s Seven Ages produced by the Kleine Optical Company.

Reviews

McKernan, Luke and Olwen Terris. Walking Shadows: Shakespeare in the National Film and Television Archive. London: BFI, 1994 9p. p36-7. "In each tableau a couple are seen embracing, followed by a close-up of them kissing. The producers were clearly more interested in the kissing than any allusions to Shakespeare’".

Cinema 1900/1906: Filmography (Brussels: FIAF, 1982), pp244-5.

Production Company

Name

Edison Manufacturing Company

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7436 0165

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

Name

Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division

Web

http://catalog.loc.gov/ External site opens in new window

Phone

(20) 707-8572

Fax

(20) 707-237’1

Address

Motion Picture & Television Reading Room
James Madison Building, LM 336
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C.
20540-4690
United States

Name

UCLA Film & Television Archive

Email

arsc@ucla.edu

Web

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/access/databases.html External site opens in new window

Phone

(310) 206 5388

Fax

(310) 206 5392

Address

Individual Access
Archive Study and Research Center
46 Powell Library
302 East Melnitz
Los Angeles
CA90095-1323
USA

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.com

Web

http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window