| The Countryman and the Cinematograph | |
| Director: | Robert W. Paul |
| Producer: | Robert W. Paul |
| Studio: | Paul's Animatograph Works |
| Runtime: | 15 seconds |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | Silent |
The Countryman and the Cinematograph (also known as The Countryman's First Sight of the Animated Pictures) is a 1901 British short silent comedy film, directed by Robert W. Paul, featuring a stereotypical yokel reacting to films projected onto a screen. The film "is one of the earliest known examples of a film within a film", where, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, "the audience reaction to that film is as important a part of the drama as the content of the film itself".[1]
In 1902, a remake of the film, Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show, was produced at the Edison Company, directed by Edwin S. Porter.[2]