The 19th Century Silent Film That First Captured a Robot Attack

Source: Slashdot

Restoration and Discovery

The Library of Congress has restored Gugusse et l’Automate, an 1897 short by Georges Méliès that likely features the first robot ever shown on film. The reel, long thought lost, was discovered in a box of decaying nitrate films donated from a Michigan family collection.

Film Description

The film, which can be viewed on the Library of Congress’ website, depicts a child‑sized robot clown who grows to the size of an adult and then attacks a human clown with a stick. The human then decimates the machine with a hammer.

Historical Significance

In an Instagram post, Library of Congress moving‑image curator Jason Evans Groth said the film represents “probably the first instance of a robot ever captured in a moving image.” The word “robot” did not appear until 1921, when Czech dramatist Karel Čapek coined it in his science‑fiction play R.U.R. (see the word origin article).

Contemporary Reflections

“Today, many of us are worried about AI and robots,” said archivist and filmmaker Rick Prelinger in an email to NPR. “Well, people were thinking about robots in 1897. Very little is new.”