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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 687

Pauvre Pierrot

Synopsis

Pierrot comes to serenade Columbine, unaware that Harlequin is interfering with his romantic visit. In the courtyard, teasing, stolen possessions and hidden tricks turn the performance into a contest between the two suitors. The short relies on gestures and the familiar figures of comic theatre to tell its story without spoken dialogue.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: French.
This copy runs
4:58
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: French. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Émile Reynaud · Public domain

Behind the scenes

Émile Reynaud painted the images for projection with his Théâtre Optique. Presented at the Musée Grévin in 1892, the work belongs to a form of projected animation that preceded the widespread exhibition of photographic motion pictures.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

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