Pranciškus Baltrus Šivickis – filming fancier

Abstract

The article contains a survey of amateur documentary films covering the time frame 1928–1935 produced by the famous Lithuanian biologist P. B. Sivickis and a description of his recording camera “Filmo”; photos of the camera and frames from the films are included. P. B. Sivickis filmed Manila, the capital of Philippines, professors from Philippines University seeing him off to Lithuania, sights on the cruise from Philippines to Europe, West European cities, Lithuanian cities and localities, and famous Lithuanian people. Many filmed persons have been identified. They are famous Lithuanian scientists, professors of Vytautas Magnus University – chemist and politician Jonas Simkus, philosopher Stasys Salkauskis, hydrologist Steponas Kolupaila, geophysicist Kazys Sleževicius, and P. B. Sivickis himself, his students, future researchers and teachers – Juozas Maniukas, Teklė Kiselytė, K. Jasiukėnaitė, S. Goldmanaitė, Irena Babuskinaitė, Natalija Kristijanovaitė (later Linkevicienė), artists – Antanas Žmuidzinavicius with his wife and daughter, vocalist Antanas Sodeika with his family, family of visiting Italian singing-master Victorio Marini, and writer Petras Cvirka, political and public figures  –  lawyer Mykolas Sleževicius with his family, attorney Mecys Mackevicius, and Emilija Putvinskienė with her family. The footage also includes films of Lithuanian localities – Kaunas, Palanga, Kretinga, Klaipėda, Sventoji, Siauliai, Dotnuva, Graužikai estate, Žuvintas Lake, Plungė stud farm, etc. including means of transport of those times the most interesting of which is “konkė” (horse-drawn streetcar) captured in the Laisvės Avenue in Kaunas. Though some of the films are of poor quality they nevertheless are valuable from the historical point of view. There are unique shots of philosopher S. Salkauskis (in the Soviet years, the filmed material about him was purposely destroyed) and three short episodes with P. B. Sivickis himself (the only filmed material about him).