Fantasia Arabe

Overview

“Fantasia arabe” (alternatively “Fantasia Arabe”) is a circa 1905 French short produced by Pathé Frères. It belongs to the genre of early “orientalist” acrobatic/horse spectacle films showcasing staged cavalry displays reminiscent of North African “fantasia” performances. The film is silent, roughly 2 minutes long (36 m of film at 16 fps), in black & white, and often hand-colored using Pathé’s pochoir or stencil process. The title refers to a traditional Maghreb equestrian ritual—teams of mounted riders synchronizing their gallop and firing volleys—popularized on stage and in photography in Europe at the time