In 2017, I had the pleasure of inviting Jerome Hiler to the Harvard Film Archive for a presentation titled "Cinema Before 1300". This illustrated lecture, which he had delivered on several occasions, piqued my interest with its intriguing title and subject matter. The talk focused on medieval stained glass, accompanied by Hiler's own still images taken over the years, primarily in those cathedrals in France and the UK that today remain among the last repositories of this now lost luminary art and craft. The event that unfolded was both mesmerizing and moving, serving as a meditation on stained glass as a popular and devotional art, and as a precursor to cinema.
Inspired by the impact of his talk, I invited Jerome to consider transforming his lecture into a work of digital cinema that could be presented online, thereby reaching a wider audience. We revisited this idea during the pandemic, and Jerome generously agreed to expand his talk, rewriting and recording his own lecture. This expanded version of "Cinema Before 1300" allows for more room for additional images and for the personal observations and insightful musings that make this film so rewarding. It is now available for viewing through the Harvard Film Archive website from December 14 until March 15. After this date, the film will remain available for online viewing upon request to HFA Collections staff.
Although designed for the smaller screen, "Cinema Before 1300" is magnificent when seen in a theater. The HFA has also created a DCP version that is available for theatrical screenings upon request.
More than eight hundred years ago, a confluence of technological, philosophical and financial upswellings converged to create the most advanced form of mass media the world had known: stained glass. Great cathedrals were built en masse across France, Spain, England and Germany, designed to display giant windows that told stories through light, color and form. Every day, thousands of viewers arrived to marvel at the glorious colors and hear stories recounted beneath their realization in light. Modern visitors to a cathedral would probably not suspect how many activities took place in these buildings during medieval times. They were truly community centers, and community members had the right to be there because they all took a great part in the construction of the buildings.
This program looks at the first one hundred years (or so) of stained glass's magnificent birth and culmination. It was during this fortuitous time frame that the most care, effort and expense were applied to the new art. By a sad irony, technological innovations making glass more uniform and the tasks of the craft easier destroyed visual interest and soon degenerated the art altogether.
