Cinema's First Kiss Was Between Two Women

Watch the definitive version of this video, ad-free, on Nebula: nebula.tv/vide...
Watch the bonus video, "Eadweard Muybridge: Crimes & Passions": nebula.tv/vide...
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The first filmed kiss, in the 1880s, was between two anonymous women. It was a pivotal moment in film history. Why haven't you heard this story before?
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Support the channel on Patreon: / lily_lxndr
Twitter: / lily_lxndr
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com...
Instagram: / lily_lxndr
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The song at the end is Blueberry Blouse by Valleymakers, off the free "VALLEYMAKERS EP": valleymakersmu...
List of movies mentioned/shown: letterboxd.com...
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Table of contents
06:14 1 - View from the window
08:41 2 - Reference bodies in motion
21:25 3 - Reanimated figures
29:05 VOLUME WARNING
29:20 3 - Reanimated figures (cont'd)
29:34 4- Self-portrait of the photographer
36:46 Bonus video & Curiosity Stream
38:09 Credits

[@lily_lxndr]

Sign up for Curiosity Stream + Nebula to get access to the definitive version and the Nebula-exclusive bonus video, "Eadweard Muybridge: Crimes & Passions"! curiositystream.com/lilyalexandre (Also oh my god please don't say anything about the flyaway hairs. I edited this for a MONTH. BELIEVE me, I know!!)

[@alexyordanov6250]

Actually I searched and the first kiss was made between May Irwin and John C.Rise in the silent movie from 1896 ,,The Kiss".

[@lily_lxndr]

@@alexyordanov6250 I explain why this isn’t true in the first 5 minutes of the video

[@lily_lxndr]

1. It wasn’t lost or anything - it’s been in libraries since 1887. It’s just that nobody singled it out as special until 2011. 2. There were like 800 series of photos taken, of course we don’t have surviving written stories about each one. It was the 1800s. 3. Yes there literally is conclusive evidence What are you proposing? That I made this up?

[@alexyordanov6250]

@@lily_lxndr If this was truly the first kiss on screen. Than why isn't it accepted by the historic community. Such discovery would be ground breaking and excepted as a fact. Also there aren't any evidence for the movie being as old as you say or any records or letters for being made by the people you claim it was made. I am doubting the movie being real . I just doubt your claims for it .

[@lily_lxndr]

@@alexyordanov6250 I literally answer that question in the video. Did you watch it?

[@wareforcoin5780]

If me kissing my boyfriend isn't decried as "indecent in its emphasized vulgarity" I'm going to have to go in for another. I didn't do the first one right.

[@lily_lxndr]

HAHAH i love this

[@Shifty_fl]

What's decried, indecent, emphasized and vulgarity what are these words

[@wareforcoin5780]

@@Shifty_fl 1.) "Decried" is the past tense of "decry" which means "to oppose" or "expressing strong disapproval of." You could use it in a sentence like "they _decried_ animal testing." 2.) "Indecent" means "inappropriate" but it has stronger moral meaning than "inappropriate." (Although, you could easily swap them out and have more or less the same impact in a sentence.) You could use it in a sentence like "His nudity at the party was _indecent._ " 3.) "Emphasized" (past tense of "emphasize") means "exaggerated" or "highlighted." You could use it in a sentence like "when she did her makeup today, she _emphasized_ her eyes." 4.) "Vulgarity" means "the state of something being vulgar." That means something is excessive to the point of being unattractive, or lacking subtlety. Very occasionally it's used to mean something is "common" as a way to say it is unrefined. You could use it in a sentence like "the amount of Christmas decorations on that house is downright _vulgar._ "

[@Shifty_fl]

@@wareforcoin5780 bruh 😂 I didn't know any of this words lok

[@wareforcoin5780]

@@Shifty_fl And now you do, and you can drop little vocabulary gems to flex on your friends.

[@carleria90]

I've sent this to every queer woman I know because it feels greedy not to. Also, i didn't know i needed to cry this much. Thank you.

[@lily_lxndr]

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that - this project will live or die on word of mouth! Thank you

[@infernovixen9136]

Cause it feels greedy not too? That’s a unique way of going about that

[@Andyatl2002]

@@infernovixen9136, it makes sense though it’s about sharing something that gave you so much joy with someone else

[@infernovixen9136]

@@Andyatl2002 yes, I understand lol, I’ve just never seen somebody’s perspective like that before, it’s interesting

[@homeland1128]

@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 nothing?¿?¿?🤣🤓🤣

[@pepe-chan2128]

"Someone will remember us, I say even in another time." is a quote by Sappho that's been in my head for quite a while now. As a gay teenager for whom a lot of time has been spent agonizing over being remembered long after I'm gone, this has been such a wonderful video. My heart feels full knowing that these two, random women, even after their names have been lost to time, are remembered. Celebrated even, for an act they might not have even thought would immortalize them. The video at the end feels like the concept going full circle, depictions of queer love and life that aren't afraid to diverge from being clinical, from being themselves. It feels like such a strong stand, like saying "We're here, we were here. We will live on forever."

[@scotishjohn]

Muff dive forever

[@Sphere-Friend]

I thought they were models

[@pastellexists]

I assume that quote is in If Not, Winter by Anne Carson, any idea which page?

[@lolrentz]

love the guy being upset about "neither participant is physically attractive" is so funny to me because like bro... those are two regular human people and I bet you look the same if not worse. And also it shows how much he (doesn't) grasp the concept of affection, thinking only attractive people can express a form of enjoyable-to-view affection. The police part just made it so much better, too. "waahhh these people I think are ugly are KISSING in this FILM!!! i need the POLICE to PROTECT ME!!"

[@violetsonja5938]

@@UberNoodle Wasn't this a Jordan Peterson thing not that long ago? Something about a model?

[@P-P-Panda]

Lmfaooo I was thinking that too 😂

[@TheAbandonedAccount7]

How tired are you after jumping through those mental gymnastics?

[@lolrentz]

@@TheAbandonedAccount7 Not at all. Thinking is actually not difficult!

[@JeffreyHaskins-ni2dd]

😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@jackm.j.3549]

I didn't expect this video to make me cry. This was beautiful.

[@Gravite56]

Yeah I didn't expect to cry either but omg it was beautiful 🤧 🥺😭

[@lindan.137]

I still didn't expect it even after reading your comment while i was watching, but then I got to the end :D

[@arcadiaberger9204]

Wonder will do that to a person. Wonder is a very good emotion, a good emotion to cultivate. It is not felt often enough by most people. But I think of the precious song "Harbors" by Anne Passovoy [ kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpKup4Sgr6uhZ5o ], which I have heard end in two different ways, both of which I find equally valid: "I have seen the harbors and the ships' departing gleam / And the witnesses of wonder are forgiven when they dream" *_or_* "I have seen the harbors and the ships launched on the deep / And the witnesses of wonder can be forgiven should they weep"

[@qisty3017]

Why though

[@arcadiaberger9204]

@@qisty3017 Because wonder is a powerful emotion.

[@miglek9613]

Honestly, the one thing that is very likely about the models is that they were both struggling monetarily - there was never a time when most models posing for a portrait they weren't buying chose to do the modeling thing because they enjoyed it rather than because they couldn't do anything else and needed to survive somehow, especially if they were posing nude, which I bet was hella stigmatized back then. The fact model 1 was a widow confirms it further as widows and women in general didn't really have human rights back then

[@lily_lxndr]

That does seem likely, yeah - thanks for pointing this out

[@jaykemp2861]

Honestly one of the sorta scary things I sometimes think about when I see old photographs of people is the fact that their life went on for years after that. They were captured in time for just that moment and then their lives went on as normal. Time strips them of any form of identification but these were real people.

[@CrazzyGur]

Absolutely gorgeous. The editing is top notch and your dialogue and voice over kept me engaged for 40 minutes! Most professional documentary voices can't do that, your voice has so much emotion and intrigue to it that most lack. I really enjoyed the chronology of events too, it feels like this is really how the world worked back then and relates today with the past. Loving this content, good work!

[@lily_lxndr]

I truly appreciate it - thank you :)

[@an_0_mal1ce6]

I second this. As someone who regularly watches video essays, I really appreciate the tone of voice here. It's casual, yet engaging. To the point where I forgot this video even breached 20 minutes.

[@christianZaal]

I should have gone to bed 35 minutes ago... But this was a fascinating look at the past

[@Skyehoppers]

In the context of everything that came before 35:45 - 36:45 is one of the most powerful and affecting things I've seen in any video essay, any video period. Extraordinary work, Lily.

[@soundseffecter9972]

truly i agree. i really do. so sweet.

[@Megtran-lb2ji]

That sounds like you didnt like the end.

[@Skyehoppers]

@@Megtran-lb2ji Huh? How so

[@suppertea6056]

@@Megtran-lb2ji i think you might have misread their comment as: "everything before 35:45 is good" but i think it's meant to read as: "everything before 35:45 made everything after it (the ending) even better"

[@adamlane6453]

@@Megtran-lb2ji huh? Why do you say that?

[@UNDERSOCIALITE]

very informative and well put together. "cute girl talks about niche queer film history" should be an entire genre of youtube video.

[@lily_lxndr]

☺️

[@dejankulusexy4472]

i’d love that as a genre

[@kuromistan645]

Jessica Kellgren Fozard is another one of those cute ladies :))

[@markmh835]

​@@kuromistan645-- I love Jessica! 😱😁👍❤🌈

[@abbyyaeger6653]

it makes my heart so happy to have been a part of this! did make me tear up a little :') and i always love gay history being unearthed, well done!!

[@mckenziecomerlover1]

are u gay or something??? 🧐🧐

[@crptpyr]

It's really interesting to see how kissing in film has changed actually now kisses on screen are all big and dramatic and sensual, some of those first on screen kisses feel more fun, light, and playful, it feels more realistic to me and somehow more romantic ig

[@alicecourtney5816]

Lily has the most calming and relaxing voice ever. She should 100% do audiobooks

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you! I’ve thought about it - I think I’d really enjoy that.

[@karissahammond4587]

Definately agree! I've had an anxious couple of weeks, but listening to this video really helped. You have a talent, Lily!

[@MaliUrum]

same, her gentle voice and comfortable pacing, as well as the calming bg music, make me wanna watch her videos non-stop, it's so pleasant it feels like i can listen to her forever

[@suspiciousstar7547]

Imagine if those critics saw how films and TV shows are now when they believed that one kiss was "disgusting". God, it would be torture for them 💀😂

[@DJSoSadRN]

Your writing always balances intellectual rigor with an artist’s eye so well. This essay exemplifies this feat, I think, best of all. That last line is a killer.

[@lily_lxndr]

That means a lot :) thank you.

[@janedoe2585]

This is a work of art! First video I've seen by you, and honestly it's such a relief that creators like you still exist today. Well researched, accurate, great editing, one can see you put a lot of work into it! While i learned a lot, i also enjoyed it a ton. Thank you!

[@lily_lxndr]

That's so nice - thank you! Glad you found your way here :)

[@azasazandorable8577]

Got here from Hbomber's recommendation playlist and dearly enjoyed this video, liking and subscribing :) I knew absolutely nothing about the history of kissing in cinema, nearly nothing about the emergence of film at all, and this was engrossing and perfectly clear and easy to follow. Thank you so much, I learned a lot and it was all interesting, and the final bit with the reappropriation remakes films was SO lovely and touching.

[@katherinemorelle7115]

The last part of this made me cry, it was so beautiful!

[@Skeli_]

This whole documentary/video essay is really good. Really as a queer person part of the LGBTQ community it makes me cry, I never heard of it and it makes me wonder how much queer history has been lost to time. Due to people opressing us, and as it seems that, homophobia, transphobia, and queerphobia as its bases is increasing. This is a reminder that we won't be forgotten. We are here now and we there then. Even if we get forgotten we were there. Thank you for this video it was really well made.

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you

[@cherrycola958]

This comment almost made me cry😖🌈 we will never be forgotten!!

[@wokery]

why is every lily alexandre video such a work of art 😭 so much meaning and very thought provoking i love it

[@ccercosp]

It still amazes me to realize how much "historic facts" and "milestones" that we take for granted as "truth" are not as accurated, and much more nuanced. History is not objective. There might be multiple perspectives and narratives on the same series of events.

[@lily_lxndr]

Totally agree, no doubt :)

[@colbyboucher6391]

Totally. I'm reading my first "real academic history" right now and something that strikes me is how forward the author was about his biases and the extent to which he's interpreting scant information. He compared what he was doing to trying to understand the lives of people in Boston by digging for tax records in a dumpster. History is putting limited information through an inevitably biased lens to create a likely story, even at it's most objective. It seems like commercializing history through textbooks is what solidified the popular notion that it's just a series of objective facts.

[@mariamart_0]

Historical accuracies is based on the accounts of witnesses, sources and the whole analysis and breakdown of it is “Is this sourcing document true?” Even if it comes from a historical document that perpetrate an unoriginal article from a secondary sources who is a historian who collect, introspects and reports these sites on the concession of standby including d.(dates), list, timeline, narrative, point of view, sources, evidence, memoirs and Time Capsules. 😭. Any historical info can be made into any sources instead of there being a first witness to witnessing these 3rd accounts of seeing lavender women or basically gay African-American or Gay Gypsie Couple playing baseball in Berlin, NY just holding each other while sitting in a bench of Winter Dec 3, 1903…women in 1893, Chicago, Illinois holding hands while doing an academic research together at a lighthouse with a library.

[@muddflower02]

I was not expecting this to be so emotional at the end

[@lunaumbra5179]

You make videos good Lily. The couple in the subway station at the end hit me the hardest as the most public display and I really needed that.

[@alexandrajacobs2936]

This video has been recommended to me for months. Now I'm finally watching it on Valentines day:)

[@lily_lxndr]

Happy valentine's day!

[@bekah5935]

No me crying about the last video and the history of sapphics and keeping those women alive today by recrating there steps. The whole video was amazing!

[@karischung3656]

I love how people didn’t realize that women can be gay

[@rv2726]

omg this feels more like a movie than a youtube video! You're definitely my favorite content creator, keep up with the incredible work 🖤

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you! ☺️

[@matthiasmorse5263]

"hey, you just listened to me ramble about film history for forty minutes" yes and now i'm sobbing. thank you for making this and thanks even more to my lover for sharing your work with me. we adore you ❤

[@matthiasmorse5263]

the last few moments of this video, seeing other trans people joyful and in love, celebrating and being celebrated, bring me so much comfort. i've never seen myself in a romance film. these portraits are a desperately needed reminder that i am not alone in my experiences surrounding gender identity and intimacy, that love will never be constrained by dogma, and that a kiss is always so much more that animal locomotion. this is the first video of yours i've seen and i'm very happy it was :')

[@matthiasmorse5263]

like wow. fuck. wow. we out here being seen and its making me rlly need to blow my nose and kiss my partner i wish she was here hhhhhghgggghhhhh

[@lily_lxndr]

oh my goodness 🥰 i can’t tell you how much all this means. thank you, truly, so glad my project struck a chord with you

[@matthiasmorse5263]

@@lily_lxndr ur work is so incredible!! ik i already said but thank you for making this. ella recommended it to me days and days ago and i never would have expected it to resonate so much with me. gonna go watch my lil gremlin play minecraft and tell her how loved she is >:))

[@lily_lxndr]

@@matthiasmorse5263 Aw, that's so sweet! Go Ella! (is this one of the Ellas i know?)

[@strawberrylemonadelioness]

Then years later The Sims 1 got popular due to a Lesbian Kiss in game at E3! Also, as a gay woman, this is really cool to see!

[@sheenajae]

I don't think I've ever hit subscribe before even finishing a video. The storytelling, research, and analysis... just excellent. Thank you!

[@DansTravels5823]

Don't know how I came across this video, but as an early film buff I had to check it out. Very moving story. Also, I was surprised when you mentioned it was a 40 minute video. I had to check and you were right. It was so interesting I didn't realize how much time passed. It's a shame their names, so far, are lost to time.

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

This video essay is about the difference between being depicted and being seen.

[@lily_lxndr]

Aw that’s a lovely way to look at it, thanks for saying so

[@LucyAndHerStuff]

This ending just made me cry so much 😭😭 I never knew about this thank you for sharing such an important piece of our culture with us ❤

[@leticiadornelas4555]

amazing how every time you drop a new video it's better and more sensitive and original than the last one

[@lily_lxndr]

That’s so nice 😌 thank you, I’m giving it my best shot!

[@joelsytairo6338]

I watched the full film on nebula but I’m commenting here. The edits of this kiss towards the end are so beautiful and I hope she makes these more publicly accessible somehow

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you :) here’s an isolated video of just that sequence, if you’d like to do anything with it reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend/comments/yjb2bv/the_first_ever_filmed_kiss_was_between_two_women/

[@FernandaHernandez-ks1te]

The epitome of “they seem like very good friends”

[@alyssaaa_yong]

the ending was so beautiful 🥺I'm so happy I decided to watch this, thank you for making this

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you 😌😌

[@Spottedleaf14]

Lily!!! This is beautiful!!! I am fascinated by the history, the stuff about Muybridge, and of course the mystery around the women. And you may have finally convinced me to sign up for Nebula lol

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you Jasper!! 💗💖

[@chipaguasu8802]

Am I the only person that is completely disturbed by this story ? The fact that the man filming them was humiliating them and other ppl in other shots, the fact that we don't know if they were comfortable being naked, the mere fact it was a man filming. This doesn't strike me as poetic at all, this strikes me as one of the first captured moment on a man exploiting women. Sadness and distrust is honestly all I feel about this.

[@emmadenton1826]

Maybe one of the reasons we don't know the women's name was to protect their privacy and their dignity, according to what was considered proper at the time. I mean, many women who are naked on film in 2023 chose not to use their real name! I definitely agree with you though. It literally sounds like the most stereotypical set up for an exploitative situation. Naked women, older man in power, that time period, it could have a terrible experience for these women. But without knowing anything about their experience, I don't want to remove their agency from the situation without a reason to. Tldr, I feel like women from the past are often reduced to simply victims with no control over themselves. But women in the past had the capacity to be as stunningly defiant as they are today.

[@bobpeters61]

Reminds me of how Ellen DeGeneres was credited with the first woman-woman kiss on American television, but I'm convinced that Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor had kissed on "Xena: Warrior Princess" well before then.

[@racoon2623]

a frame from this kiss was used as a cover for an ep by sons of an illustrious father (unfortunately associated with ezra miller, their music was really important to me though). the story behind it is really cool, i’m glad i know it now

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Reminds me of how the first gay kiss in comics was between two warrior queens in a Zatara story in Action Comics #12, 1939.

[@florabubble3333]

this video is so cool, i work in an archive and a while back i was processing a ton of photos labeled with the name "muybridge." i had no idea the backstory behind that name, and this was an awesome way to find out :)

[@ramonaautum1460]

This is a beautifully done video. I found myself completely encapsulated by your voice over and amazing editing and visuals. I can feel your wonder and desire to know these women through the screen. Your enjoyment and distaste at different parts are palpable through the screen. Truely an amazingly fine essay

[@kazbob]

I don't think I would have ever known this about Muybridge (and his models!) if you didn't make a video about it! Thank you!

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you :)

[@sarrasinae]

I'm so glad I found your channel. You're lovely, clever, and have the soul of a poet.

[@ash.whothat]

This video just took me on a rollercoaster of emotions the excitement when i saw the title the eagerness to watch the video and the utter happiness when i saw the film or well pictures tied together the sadness learning we knew nothing about the models, who they were, how they felt, what happened to them and the sheer hopelessness when i learned that this isnt the fairytale i was hoping for and the sense of overwhelmness (is that a word??) realising This piece of art outlived its context but theres no such thing art is made anew with every glance and the utter joy i felt at the montage at the end I shed actual tears i thank you wonderful person for sharing this with us and i hope you have a blessed day

[@marianne95]

im always searching for authentic, historical queer content focusing on women, so coming across this was the best surprise as it perfectly scratched that itch. whilst the queer content we create now is precious and important, it always feels momentous when a new snippet of queer history is revealed. there’s something so inexplicably joyful about being able to share experiences with people from a 100 years ago, even if that event was perceived differently at the time. this lovely video genuinely made me cry when we got to see the forgotten, nameless women from the past become real and tangible through your reimagination. I love, love, love this video and it makes me so happy to know I will be able to watch it again many times over. your narration, editing and pacing is perfect.

[@kikikrazed]

I loved this video so much. I'm not sure if I can articulate all my thoughts in a single comment, but I'll try. First of all, as a lesbian film history nerd, I really appreciate the time you take at the beginning to go through general photography/film history before going to the kiss -- it situates it within the existing historical narrative very well. The structure was very effective. It feels like you're adding in a missing piece. I also perked up at that brief Thom Andersen mention at 26:42 just because he's a big video essay influence of mine. "I want to keep them moving, I want to pull them into the present and learn how they would live outside the edges of Muybridge’s suffocating frame. And if I can’t, well… the least I can do for them is wonder." This final line reminded me a lot of the show Dickinson, which is all about that act of wondering. It reckons with Emily Dickinson's existing legacy and dares to propose another (gayer!) way of viewing her life.

[@lily_lxndr]

This is so thoughtful - thank you for commenting :) Dickinson sounds cool. I love to see people doing this kind of thing. NOPE also deserves credit there, for doing the same with the Horse in Motion jockey!

[@oliveukulele]

that montage at the end really got me. your voice is so calming and nice :)

[@stiofanmacamhalghaidhau765]

well, thank you for that unexpected dose of history! was a joy to watch, thanks so much

[@whatsbehindthesky]

I love historical detective stories like this! If you haven't already seen it, I recommend the movie "The Watermelon Woman." It's a mockumentary about a Black Lesbian filmmaker who searches for clues about a historic Black Lesbian film actress

[@lily_lxndr]

That’s what it’s about?! I’ve heard such good things, but I didn’t know. I’ll have to check it out!

[@whatsbehindthesky]

@@lily_lxndr It's so interesting! Lots of made-up conversations with archivists, plus apparently it ran afoul of the National Endowment of the Arts for having a lesbian sex scene. I recommend it!

[@Dapper_Top-Hatted_Lad]

Dang, that transition into the sponsored segment was the smoothest and most natural transition I've ever seen in a video. Props to you!

[@menbead]

this is an absolutely wonderful watch, i cant focus on a lot of things for a while but this really captured my attention for the full thing. thank you

[@lily_lxndr]

Wow, I'm so glad to hear that :) thank you.

[@the_projectionist]

This is so good! I was researching the history of kissing in film and stumbled across this video and I'm so glad I did. It's well researched and written and I love how you balance a historical perspective with an emotional perspective. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!

[@Earlysg]

Thank you so much for documenting this almost lost to history event and really bring how important and worthy it is 😊

[@susansharp985]

OMG how I love this video and of course the content!!!! Thank you for doing this, Lily

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you :)

[@lifeatpaddyspub]

this story and the footage actually brought me to tears 🥺💘 beautiful video

[@mina_mozna]

the ending you made was so beautiful, it made me cry like the lesbian idiot I am

[@lesbianesti]

This is extremely minor, but I like how you've been working with non-16:9 aspect ratios. Great video overall, of course.

[@lily_lxndr]

I'm flattered you noticed - I was worried the difference was too subtle on this one!

[@emilytaub4250]

I watch a lot of video essays on KZbin, but nothing else has been this incredible and powerful or made me feel anything like I do right now

[@emilytaub4250]

Also, I wonder if it would be possible to give these women their names back by searching through financial records. It's possible that their names (or at least partial names) could be in pay ledgers, given that they were hired models. I'm sure someone probably already looked into it but institutions like UPenn tend to have those old records around somewhere, and I doubt they'd be digitized.

[@lily_lxndr]

That's an interesting possibility! I'm actually not sure anyone would've looked into it. It'd take a lot of work to narrow down their exact identities even then, but it would be awesome. Maybe if I can get some more ambitious project funded.

[@maffieduran]

As a bisexual myself, seeing this video open with my favourite Mozart piece filled my heart with joy.

[@falcon7700]

I love the sound of your voice- along with the relaxed, yet confident delivery. (The condensor mic probably helps, too)

[@Unknown-ns6gv]

Ironically watching this to procrastinate my film project

[@anedaneran5666]

I had already watched it on Nebula, But I had to comment for the engagement. And to tell Lily that it's a really great video essay!

[@lily_lxndr]

The algorithm gods thank you ⚡️🖥 and so do i!

[@Treblebeatgames]

What a profound essay. I loved this, and I can't even begin to explain why. Such a fascinating history, and while the story itself is a mystery, there's a vibrance to it that can only come from how we fill the gaps in on our own. Thank you for making this.

[@smidlem1117]

got to the revelatory second half, and just as an aside i have to say: how fucking fitting is it that muybridge, a man who used photography as power to demean marginalised groups, was prominently mentioned at the start of nope

[@log7029]

Amazing video, I can’t imagine how much work this one took. Thank you!

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you so much! This video was my full-time job for 3 months LOL

[@log7029]

@@lily_lxndr I would absolutely love to work on projects like this, but iv always feared that I wouldn’t have the dedication to finish what I start. So seeing someone put something like this together is amazing to me, very impressive

[@darthknuxward3220]

This is incredibly well done. As a queer person and someone who adores media history, this might be in the running for one of my all time favorite KZbin videos. Fantastic work, would love to see more documentaries from you regarding film, perhaps regarding early queer works in the medium. But having seen what other content you post, I’m now subbed and looking to binge them all soon. Amazing work!

[@soundseffecter9972]

what a gorgeous, informational video. especially the ending! i love a bit of storytelling, with the context of muybridge and yourself directing the same action to be performed, but telling a different story. it put a smile on my face. i'm glad it can be turned into a source of joy despite it all. specifically what you said at 25:57 made me laugh, because i have been into the titanic recently, and although its a subject we know much much more than this kiss, there seems to be no end to the misinformation; news articles, movies, even wikipedia gets facts about it incorrect, and i cant help but complain to my friends about it. i think it goes to show that not everyone needs to know everything, but it would be nice that, people with influence (journalists, writers) would do their research before spreading false infromation (smile with a sweatmark). a method that ive found works well, for when you encounter misinformation that you cant fix yourself, is imagining your favorite person massaging your shoulders. works wonder for me, whenever such a situation occurs. thanks for the video! can't wait for my friends to watch it.

[@Fanrose2475]

Easiest bingo of my life: Queer video essayists being interrupted by their cats

[@thornprick2645]

This was very interesting and I'm so impressed by the research! This concept of women not being able to enjoy sex is fascinating to me. This is something I knew was a commonly held belief up until fairly recently, but this making such a stark contrast in what was publicly acceptable really has my wheels turning. How women may have gotten away with being lesbians at times under the guise of friendship. Not that that would have been easy, but. I remember reading something about how many women attracted to women used to be called lesbians, so there'd be like safehomes for "lesbians and their husbands" but that could have literally been in the mid 20th century for all I remember.

[@marvelousTUD]

I think this video may just be your best work yet. It’s gorgeous.

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you so much :)

[@cherrycola958]

The ending was so beautiful, I almost cried. Thank you for making this wonderful video!! 🌈

[@natwhyyy631]

I'm always so happy to see a new Lily video on my homepage. This was great, thank you so much! 💖

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you! :)

[@Gabriel64468]

Wow the collage at the end was beautiful and powerful. Really highlighted the thin line between film and a series of pictures - and while I generally agree that for all intents and purposes those are videos, they felt more like series of pictures to me and I prefered that. By having pictures we stay on instead of racing past them it makes each feel more... substantive? Love that you ended on that.

[@warallthetime]

first off i want to say I love your voice, its so fit for this sort of video and you make the history of this sound amazing. And as another lesbian who loves film and its history, this definitely means a lot to me and i will boast about this wherever i go. thank you for making this video :)

[@albionmerrick]

Excellent work! I just finished this on Nebula!

[@lily_lxndr]

Thanks! :)

[@booksvsmovies]

what an excellent piece of film history. thank you for bringing these women to life for us.

[@danieneit6830]

You know you've seen too many KZbin video essays when you get to the patron list at the end and recognize a patreon account name from another different video essayist's patron list. I see you nonanonymouse. You have great taste

[@steakrappedinbacon]

Amazing video, fully cried during the final photo montage cause it was just so beautiful

[@em-agan]

I got chills countless times watching this, thank you so much for researching and sharing 💛

[@lily_lxndr]

Thank you so much, it was a privilege!!

[@thornprick2645]

This was really well done. I hope you're proud of what you made and how it turned out. You speak really well and you tell a good story. I'm glad I watched it to the very end.

[@pastafied]

i return to this video every time i need to cry

[@lennytriem1942]

Huh I never noticed Valleymakers' Bad Blood at 3:00 until today. Such a good album. Thanks for sharing it, I would never have found it without this video. Edit: lol just realized most of the album is there as background music

[@markmh835]

So a funny thing happened while watching one of Jessica K.'s KZbin videos about Queen Christina: one of the Comments had a link to this 40 minute video here. I just finished watching it. This is truly one of the finest movie analysis and commentaries I have ever seen! Very entertaining, informational, and poignant. I am truly moved. You have a new subscriber! 😊😁👍❤🌈

[@lorrainecolbert4300]

This was such a lovely dive into a section of photography history and it’s role in social dynamics. I adored it! 🥰

[@lily_lxndr]

Oh I’m so glad to hear, thank you! ☺️☺️

[@JulesIsaVerhulst]

Your video essays are so well written and inspiring, I'm really glad I found them!

[@neilnordegirl]

omg, and they were roommates 🥺🥺🥺 such good friends having a lovely friendly kiss!/j

[@proxximate]

10 outta 10, thank goodness I scolled through the comments and saw that I wasn't the only one that cried

[@Mali-vu2ue]

No cause the comment about Standford having enough time for that book title but not to credit Muybridge is oh so relevant watching this on December 2023 out of Hbomb's playlist

[@Lady_Rhea]

There is something so beautiful about these films at the end. Though perhaps I’m just biased because I know Lionel-Groulx when I see it. Thank you for both the discussion and for the delightful life in film you presented at the end of the video.

[@gatov_]

i unexpectedly cried at the end so hard what

[@cabledavis9645]

I’m not crying ur crying!!! Lily!! This is a super video!!!

[@lily_lxndr]

Tysm I love u!!

[@sarahkate2669]

Utterly fascinating and beautifully shot!

[@drealynne4256]

Well that thumbnail got my attention right away. I stayed for the beautiful narrator and of course the story 💕

[@electrictowers]

sad it took me so long to watch this since it was published, this is a stellar video!! for sure gonna be rewatching this one a bunch

[@Andyatl2002]

Thank you all of your videos are genuinely so nice not just in a pretty content way but in the humanity of it

[@lily_lxndr]

🥹 thank you

[@beethovenjunkie]

The sequence at the end made me cry!