Constant Girel

Camera·Jan 1, 1873·Seyssel (Ain)

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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.

Film	Credit
Un pont à Kyoto1898 · Director	Director
Procession shintoïste1898 · Director	Director
Lutteurs japonais1898 · Director	Director
Danseuses japonaises : la danse des ombrelles1898 · Director	Director
Danseuses japonaises : la danse des éventails1898 · Director	Director
JJapanese Sword Fencing1897 · Director	Director
Les Aïnos à Yeso, [II]1897 · Director	Director
Les Aïnos à Ueso, [I]1897 · Director	Director
CCoolies in Saigon1897 · Director	Director
Une scène au théâtre japonais1897 · Director	Director
Japanese Actors: Wig Exercise1897 · Director	Director
Acteurs japonais : danse d’homme1897 · Director	Director
CChutes du Rhin vues de près1897 · Director	Director
BBersagliers1897 · Director	Director
Acteurs japonais : bataille au sabre1897 · Director	Director
Une rue à Tokyo1897 · Director	Director
Dîner japonais1897 · Director	Director
Déchargement dans un port1897 · Director	Director
Arrivée d'un train1897 · Director	Director
Sortie d’un temple shintoïste1897 · Director	Director
RRepas en famille1897 · Director	Director
Roi et Reine d'Italie1896 · Director	Director
Cherbourg: Entrée des souverains russes et du président de la République sous le hall1896 · Director	Director
CCherbourg : débarquement des souverains russes1896 · Director	Director
CChutes du Rhin vues de loin1896 · Director	Director
DDéfilé du 8e bataillon1896 · Director	Director
WWoodcutters1896 · Director	Director
Pont sur le Rhin1896 · Director	Director
DDanse Tyrolienne1896 · Director	Director
Pont de bateaux1896 · Director	Director
Panorama pris d'un bateau1896 · Director	Director
GGörlitz : revue devant Guillaume II et Nicolas II1896 · Director	Director
IIII. Défilé de hussards devant Guillaume II1896 · Director	Director
Guillaume II et Nicolas II à cheval1896 · Director	Director
III. Inauguration1896 · Director	Director
II. Avant l'inauguration. Arrivée des souverains1896 · Director	Director
Procession1896 · Director	Director