Constant Girel
- Camera
- January 1, 1873 · Seyssel (Ain)
- January 1, 1952
Biography
Constant Girel was the son of a pharmacist and studied the subject at Lyon, at which time his brother-in-law was employed at the Lumière factory. He was taken on as a Lumière operator some time in 1896, filming for them in Germany in September of that year, when he made contact with Ludwig Stollwerck and filmed Tsar Nikolas II's inspection of the German army at Breslau. It was the Stollwerk connection that no doubt led him to Switzerland, where he worked for another Lumière representative, Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, before filming the Tsar again towards the end of the year at Cherbourg and Chalons. On 6 December he left for Japan, arriving at Kobe on 9 January 1897, where he met up with the Lumière representative for Japan, Inabata Katsutaro. The pair then inaugurated the cinema in Japan with a program at Osaka's Nanchi Theatre on 15 February 1897. Girel's competence as a cameraman has been questioned, but he filmed a wide number of Japanese scenes, many of which ended up in the Lumière catalog. He returned to France after a year, being replaced by Gabriel Veyre, approached Pathé Frères but failed to find further work in film, and returned to pharmacy.
Known for
Filmography
- Un pont à Kyoto · Director
- Procession shintoïste · Director
- Lutteurs japonais · Director
- Danseuses japonaises : la danse des ombrelles · Director
- Danseuses japonaises : la danse des éventails · Director
- Japanese Sword Fencing · Director
- Les Aïnos à Yeso, [II] · Director
- Les Aïnos à Ueso, [I] · Director
- Coolies in Saigon · Director
- Une scène au théâtre japonais · Director
- Japanese Actors: Wig Exercise · Director
- Acteurs japonais : danse d’homme · Director
- Chutes du Rhin vues de près · Director
- Bersagliers · Director
- Acteurs japonais : bataille au sabre · Director
- Une rue à Tokyo · Director
- Dîner japonais · Director
- Déchargement dans un port · Director
- Arrivée d'un train · Director
- Sortie d’un temple shintoïste · Director
- Repas en famille · Cinematography, Camera Operator
- Roi et Reine d'Italie · Director
- Boat Bridge · Director, Camera Operator
- Woodcutters · Director, Camera Operator
- Panorama taken from a Boat · Director, Camera Operator
- Tyrolean Dance · Director, Camera Operator
- Cherbourg: Entry of the Russian Sovereigns and the President of the Republic under the Hall · Director, Camera Operator
- Cherbourg: Landing of the Russian Sovereigns · Director, Camera Operator
- III. Hussar Parade before Wilhelm II · Director, Camera Operator
- I. Before the Inauguration. Arrival of the Sovereigns · Director, Camera Operator
- II. Inauguration · Director, Camera Operator
- Chutes du Rhin vues de loin · Director
- Défilé du 8e bataillon · Director
- Wilhelm II and Nicholas II on Horseback · Director, Camera Operator
- Pont sur le Rhin · Director
- Stuttgart: 26th Dragoons Jumping Obstacles · Cinematography
- Görlitz: Parade in front of Wilhelm II and Nicholas II · Director, Camera Operator
- Procession · Director