What is the recording date of "Sortie d’usine"? And why are there several versions?

[Manuel Schmalstieg]

In the catalog entry about the film "Sortie d’usine, [I]" - https://catalogue-lumiere.com/sortie-dusine-i/ - it is written that this film was made on May 26 1895.

 

As we know, the first film „Sortie d’usine“ was made on March 19 1895, and projected on March 22 1895.

Does that mean that "Sortie d’usine, [I]" is not the first version of this film?

[Manuel Schmalstieg]

The initial recording on celluloid film was made on March 19 1895, and screened at a professional event in Lyon on March 22nd 1895 (it was the first public demo of the Cinematograph). This very first recording is lost – no negative or copies remain. 

The four versions that are preserved in the Lumière archive are "remakes" of the initial recording. "Sortie d’usine" was one of the signature sequences and was screened very often – supposedly this led to the negative decaying faster than usual, hence the large number of remakes. The Lumière sales catalog made no distinction and gathered them as one single entry.

The four remakes:

- Sortie d’usine, [I] - [26 May 1895] - https://catalogue-lumiere.com/sortie-dusine-i/

- Sortie d’usine, [II] - [10 March 1896] - https://catalogue-lumiere.com/sortie-dusine-ii/

- Sortie d’usine, [III] - [15 August 1896] - https://catalogue-lumiere.com/sortie-dusine-iii/

- Sortie d’usine, [IV] - [February 1897] - https://catalogue-lumiere.com/sortie-dusine-iv/