Anna, qu'est-ce que t'attends? (1906) User Reviews

Don't just stand there, Sing!

[boblipton · 7/10 · 25 March 2011]

Modern Americans think that the movies learned to talk in 1927 when Al Jolson opened his mouth in THE JAZZ SINGER, but sound pictures had a much longer history. Edison envisaged combining the phonograph with motion pictures even before they had been perfected and there is a test sequence from 1895. By the time this 'phonoscene' had been made, Alice Guy had been directing a series of them and there was a series in production in Germany, too. Yet true synchronization remained a problem, what with records wearing out and film breaking until the perfection of sound on film itself.

Invariably, these phonoscenes were bits of music hall acts. This is one of them, and it shows a family getting ready to go on a picnic. It's astonishing because of its age, but given the difficulties of exhibiting these works, it would be a short-lived false dawn.

One of the better examples of early sound filmmaking

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 2 July 2019]

While this might surprise you, hundreds if not thousands of experimental talking pictures were made before the ultra-famous "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. A few of these films are available on YouTube and many more can be found on the special features of "The Jazz Singer". And, due to my love of history and films, it's not surprising I seek these out to watch.

"Anna, qu-est-ce que t'attends?" is in some ways a typical and very unusual early sound film. Most of them featured folks standing in place in front of a painted backdrop, as they were filmed in studios. This one does feature a singer....but the rest is quite innovative. Instead of the usual backdrop, this one uses a real life location--two in fact and one is clearly outdoors. This features a variety of problems equipment-wise...but they managed to carry it off beautifully. More movement, nice sets and a more natural look make this one of the very best early sound films.