Ephemera are paper-based collectible memorabilia that are transitory and were produced for temporary short-term purpose or short-lived usefulness. However, scholars are now realising how much information can be contained in them which is not easily retrieved from other sources.

One such ephemera is a leaflet advertising the projection of a film in colour, produced by Pathé Frères and directed by Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien Nonguet. It was released in France in 1903 with the title La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ (The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ).

The 44-minute silent film is one of the earliest feature films. A second version was issued in colour in 1907, which is the film being advertised, and was the first film to be ‘colourised’ using Pathéchrome − an early stencil-based film tinting process developed by Segundo de Chomón.

The leaflet for the viewers.

The front page of the leaflet showing the title of the film, prices, times and venue.

The scenes or tableaux, 38 in all, are introduced by a slide giving the name of the scene which is to follow. The language of the stills changed according to preference. The acting is very dramatic with emphasised body language and facial expressions, which is to be expected from silent-film actors who lacked the spoken language.

Many of the scenes attempted to recreate the illustrations of the life of Christ by the French artist, printmaker and illustrator Gustave Doré (1832–1883). The famous bible by Doré contained a series of 241 wood engravings and many Maltese households owned a copy of it.

The marriage at Cana after an engraving of Gustave Doré. The same scene is copied n the film 'La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ'..

The set decoration was among the best of the silent era and was filmed using a single camera mostly kept still in front of the set and capturing the actors and action as it unfolds.  On only a few occasions does the camera move with the scenes. The only known cast members are Madame Moreau as the Virgin Mary and Monsieur Moreau as Joseph, although there were many extras appearing in the film.

In the same year, 1907, the film was brought to Malta by the Falzon Brothers who were the proprietors of the Universal Cinematograph of 4 and 5, Prince of Wales Road, Sliema.

Since they had anticipated a large participation from the public and their cinema was probably too small, the Falzon Brothers decided to project the film at the Britannia Circus, in Floriana which was designed to accommodate 4,000 people.

The Britannia circus/theatre in Floriana.

There were four screenings every day, at 4.30, 6, 7.30 and 9pm, and prices ranged from three shillings to three pence according to the seating position. There was also the possibility of hiring the venue to the clergy and pious institutions where payment, dates and hours were negotiable.

The film had met considerable worldwide success and the box office in Malta must have been good too.

Later that year, in 1907, the Falzon Brothers moved down to the Strand, where the Busy Bee is situated today, and opened the Prince of Wales Cinema.

Empire Cinema