Constant Girel

Personal Info

Known For Camera

Gender Male

Birthday 1873-01-01

Deathday 1952-01-01 (79 years old)

Place of Birth Seyssel (Ain)

Also Known As François-Constant Girel

Constant Girel

Biography

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.

Known For

Camera

1897
Repas en famille

as Camera Operator

Director

1898
1898
Un pont à Kyoto

as Director

1898
Lutteurs japonais

as Director

1897
Dîner japonais

as Director

1897
Procession, I

as Director

1897
Bersagliers

as Director

1897
1897
1897
Repas en famille

as Director

1897
1897
Une rue à Tokyo

as Director

1897
Coolies à Saïgon

as Director

1896
Pont sur le Rhin

as Director

1896
Danse Tyrolienne

as Director

1896
Pont de bateaux

as Director

1896
Woodcutters

as Director

1896
1896
II. Inauguration

as Director

1896

Crew

1897
Repas en famille

as Cinematography