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

How to cite this record

Shakespeare, "Seven Ages, The". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av68517 (Accessed 14 Nov 2024)