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. Šivickis and a description of his recording camera “Filmo”; photos of the camera and frames from the films are included. P. B. Šivickis 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 Šimkus, philosopher Stasys Šalkauskis, hydrologist Steponas Kolupaila, geophysicist Kazys Sleževičius, and P. B. Šivickis himself, his students, future researchers and teachers – Juozas Maniukas, Teklė Kiselytė, K. Jasiukėnaitė, S. Goldmanaitė, Irena Babuškinaitė, Natalija Kristijanovaitė (later Linkevičienė), artists – Antanas Žmuidzinavičius 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 Sleževičius with his family, attorney Mečys Mackevičius, and Emilija Putvinskienė with her family. The footage also includes films of Lithuanian localities – Kaunas, Palanga, Kretinga, Klaipėda, Šventoji, Šiauliai, 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. Šalkauskis (in the Soviet years, the filmed material about him was purposely destroyed) and three short episodes with P. B. Šivickis himself (the only filmed material about him).