The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight

The Corbett–Fitzsimmons Fight is an 1897 documentary film depicting the 1897 boxing match between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons in Carson City, Nevada on March 17, 1897. Directed by Enoch J. Rector, it originally ran for more than 100 minutes, making it the longest film released to date. The technology that allowed this is known as the Latham loop. Rector claimed to have invented the device, but its invention is disputed. He used three such equipped cameras placed adjacently and filming on 63mm nitrate film. Only fragments of the film survive. The known fragments were transferred in the 1980s from a print owned by Jean A. LeRoy of New York City, the transfer done on a specially built optical printer to convert the film to 35mm film. The film was also the first to be shot in widescreen, with an aspect ratio of about 1.65:1.

Synopsis: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0