Page 9 - RD_2022-09

PATHÉ’S 9.5mm FILM GAUGE TURNS 100

1922-2022

Mike Trickett
he company know as Pathé Frères (Pathé
TBrothers) was the world’s largest
producer of motion picture films prior to the
1920s. Their expertise didn’t stop at film
production, their range of projectors, cameras
and other equipment, was well respected by
the professional cinema industry.

Pathé had also recognised
the need for a low cost home
movie gauge, and had
introduced their 28 mm
system with the KOK
projector and a large range of
films in 1912. They were
also aware of the need for
films that were to be
screened in the home or
school environment to be
safety film (nitrate was the
norm in those days). Twenty
eight millimetre size film
was chosen, as it was not
possible for the unscrupulous
to cut it down from 35 mm
(nitrate) film. The Pathé Baby projector. Note the difference
between this model and the one on the front
Although 28 mm did the job cover. This later model had several improvement
quite well, the equipment made. At the top, the film feed housing is now
was necessarily rather bulky larger to accommodate the bigger 60 ft cassettes,
and the film costly. Work the turning handle now has flattened knobs and
this model has a double claw in place of the single
had started in the Pathé
Cinema factory even before claw of the first model.
World War I, on the
development of a smaller The 9.5mm film format was quite different to
gauge for home use. The anything previous, in that is utilised the full
result was the arrival of a width of the film for the picture area. It had a
9·5 mm. projector and a single narrow sprocket hole between the
library of films in France late frames for film transport. Pathé had wisely
in 1922. This projector was designed 9.5 mm to have the same aspect ratio
sold as the Pathé Baby as 35mm (silent) film, which made reduction
(sometimes called the Home prints possible without any cropping of the
Movie). image.

REEL DEALS December 2022 9