A Ride on a Tramcar through Belfast, 1901 (w/ Sound!)

Filmed on May 27th, 1901 by Sagar Mitchell & James Kenyon, this was shot from atop a horse drawn tram along Royal Avenue, turning onto High Street, and terminating at the Albert Clock in Queens Square, Belfast, Ireland. It was shown as part of an exhibition at the Ulster Hall in May of 1901. Billboards can be seen advertising the event, and the North American Animated Photo Co, a UK company that commissioned many of Mitchell and Kenyon's films. The terms "movie" and "film" were not in common usage in these earliest days of filmmaking, and the term "animated photo" was still vying for the film lexicon. These films were exhibited in halls, saloons, or whatever local venue could be procured at the time, with dedicated movie theaters being over a decade in future.

Mitchell & Kenyon operated under a business model which had them traveling to cities all over England filming citizens and landmarks, and then renting local venues to sell tickets. Local folks were eager to see the new and novel moving photographs of themselves and friends, even more so than exotic locations or famous individuals. Mitchell & Kenyon Film Company started in 1897 and operated to the mid-teens. During this time Mitchell and Kenyon inadvertently generated a wealth of documentation of everyday live in Edwardian England. In 1994, a cache of films were discovered in the basement of a photo shop that was about to be demolished. These films comprise the largest collection in the world of actuality films from the early 20th century.

This version of the Belfast film has 18 channels of sound design by Mike Upchurch. Mike is a comedy writer by trade, and does sound design on old films in his spare time.