Debrie Le Parvo Interview 35mm Cine Camera

Debrie ‘Le Parvo’ Cine Cameras

André Debrie's Le Parvo 35mm motion picture camera was developed in 1908 by Joseph Jules Debrie and built by his son André Debrie. They set out to produce a more portable, compact, and versatile camera than anything else on the market.

The Parvo line included several models and variations. This camera is the "Interview" model, Type D, which was first released in 1918 as a lighter, less expensive option designed for amateurs and reporters. It quickly became popular among professionals due to its lower cost and weight.

Andre Debrie Parvo models — Andre Debrie models.

All Parvo models used the same film magazine system. The cameras held two internal 120m (400') magazines which transported 35mm film from the load magazine, through the gate, to the take-up magazine in a coaxial movement—giving the operator almost six minutes of film when cranked at the standard 16 frames per second.

New models were constantly released with improvements and additional features, making the camera extremely popular, especially in Europe, where it was manufactured well into the 1930s.

Debrie ‘Le Parvo’ Interview model- interior — The internal frame in all the Parvo camera is a unique design.

Joseph Jules Debrie

In 1908, he patented and later produced a small cinematograph camera he called le 'Parvo,' meaning compact in stature. The cameras were well-designed and smaller than the competition. Shortly after its introduction, Debrie developed an additional viewfinder allowing viewing directly through the film—similar to Ernest Moy's finder, which had been produced several years earlier for their cinematograph camera. It was designed as a sliding extension tube with an eyepiece at the end that, when pulled out, magnified images viewed through the film.

Over the years, many additional features were added to keep pace with studio demands, and models became progressively more advanced. The first models were produced with mahogany wood bodies, while aluminum-bodied models began appearing in the early 1920s. By then, Debrie had produced over a dozen different models and variations, including special models like the Parvo GV (Grand Vitesse) models D, F & G (c.1925), Parvo model 'T' (c.1930), and the Super Parvo series V2 35mm sound camera (c.1932).

All models offered several accessories and upgrades. The lens mount was an upgrade that allowed adding additional accessories like the included André Debrie Iris—according to the Debrie catalog, "Iris of 90 m/m.":

“special use of this accessory offers our customers many advantages, the main one being to have an iris with one-piece steel lamellae and giving absolutely complete closure without the use of an additional small lamella.
As with most of our accessories, this iris includes a clamping ring at the front and at the back.”

Debrie Interview, c. 1918

The Interview first appeared in 1918 as a simplified Parvo apparatus with an exterior wood body. It contained two coaxial 120-meter magazines and weighed only 7 kg. Various models and variations were eventually produced, including:

Andre Debrie Interview plate — “Interview” #38 name plate. Courtesy of Mark Pollio

Interview- Type A

The outer wood box is constructed of plywood in five layers to withstand temperature fluctuations and climate changes. As with all Parvo cameras, the movement and film transport are independent of the outer case. The internal aluminum frame is a complete module containing all the working parts of the camera. The exterior wood box protects the interior and houses all the external hardware, including the lens mount, top handle, hinges, doors, and rear ports.

The shutter mechanism is mounted inside the front lid via a small bracket on the top and a latch on the bottom. The latch has an external knob on the face of the camera for removing the shutter mechanism. The lens is fixed in a special mount that allows for focusing via a rod contained in a slot on the top of the camera body. In front of the slot is a rotating brass rod with the focus scale.

Above the lens, another knob opens the camera front. On each side of the body are doors that can only be opened when the front is lifted. The door on the right has a hole for the hand crank shaft. On the left side, the optical finder is hinged to lay flush with the body when not in use.

On the rear of the body there are five features:

Footage meter with two dials—one for frames and the outer dial measuring film used in meters
Below that, the through-the-film focus tube
A small brass lever with brass ring serving as the film punch
Single-frame shaft with hand crank
An optional level

Interview- Type B

This version is identical to Type A, except the lens port features a special collar allowing attachment of various accessories such as a lens hood or an iris for faders.

Interview- Type C

This model features the "Professional" front, which includes a bayonet lens mount for rapid lens changes, focusing and iris diaphragm, capstan collar, and attachment system.

Interview- Type D

Features the "Professional" front with friction, allowing reverse.

Interview- Type E

Features the "Professional" front, friction allowing reverse gear, and a motor for turning the crank.

Interview- Type F

Features the "Professional" front end, friction allowing reverse, motor for the crank, window presser and roller claw presser, added "Parvo" speedometer, and mounting points for the motor. Type F was primarily used when shooting on a tripod.

Debrie ‘Le Parvo’ Interview- side view — Interview (Type D)

Debrie ‘Le Parvo’ side view — Interview with optional Iris Fader attachment

Debrie ‘Le Parvo’ rear view — Rear viewing port allows for critical focusing.

Debrie Interview (Type D)

The camera shown here is an Interview Type D, serial #688, produced sometime after 1918. It was found with its original Debrie tripod and head, upgraded lens mount, external Debrie iris fader, and its original Krauss Zeiss Tessar f3.5 5cm lens no. 152870 and Krauss Zeiss Tessar f4.5 12cm lens no. 153490.

The camera also includes custom focus and iris scales as discussed below, a set of frames, a spare hand crank handle, and two 120m film magazines with original proprietary film cores.

The film cores feature a built-in light trap to prevent light from entering the magazine and were upgraded to include additional slots for easier insertion of the film magazine into the body.

Custom Lens-Specific Focus Scales

One of the unique features of the Parvo series is the custom brass focus and iris scales mounted on the body. This Interview model includes only the focus scale, though the iris scale was also available as an option. The brass bar rotates to provide four different scales—one for each lens—or you could create dedicated close-up and distance scales for your lenses for more precise work. If you ordered the combination iris and focus scale, it included a gear that rotated both scales together.

The brass focus scale runs along the top front edge of the camera body. Immediately behind the scale is a slot providing access to the focus mechanism. A small rod runs through this slot and screws into the focus mechanism. Focus is adjusted by sliding this rod left or right along the brass focus scale.

le Parvo focus rod and scale — Focusing rod and custom focus scale.

This Interview was ordered with three lenses and lens scales for a 35mm, 50mm, and 120mm lens, all with matching serial numbers. The focus scale on this camera also bears the matching serial number for each lens.

Custom lens-specific focus scales for 35mm, 50mm, and 120mm lenses (click to enlarge):

J. Debrie Tripod and Head

Debrie Tripod- catalog — J. Debrie Cine Tripod

The original J. Debrie tripod and head, Model A (serial #1082), was found with the camera. It retains both of its original cranks—one for tilt and one for pan. The extra-wide base is precision-made to fit the Le Parvo or Interview body and features a large tie-down knob directly under the head for quick mounting. It also includes a heavy-duty leather shoulder strap attached to the legs with adjustment buckles. Debrie tripods and heads are rarely seen; this one likely predates the camera, as it's stamped "J. Debrie."* It is a beautiful example of early French industrial design.

*Joseph Jules Debrie and later his son André Debrie developed a range of cinema cameras and projectors, starting with the Parvo, which Joseph patented on September 19, 1908. André Debrie took over control of the company starting in 1919.

J. Debrie Parvo Tripod and Head — J. Debrie Cine Tripod and head

The hand-cranked Le Parvo was at one time the most popular European-made camera. Even in the early 1920s, the Le Parvo was the most widely used camera in the world. The design and movement were also utilized by other manufacturers, including Ernemann and Askania. By 1931, Debrie had produced its 6,000th Parvo camera.

The Ernemann Kino Model E is one example of another manufacture duplicating this model, its not clear if Debrie made the camera for Ernemann, if Ernemann paid a royalty to Debrie for use of the design (which had its patent registered in 1908 by Andre Debrie’s father, Joseph Dules Debrie) or if they simply stole the design. You can read more about the Ernemann Kino Model E in my earlier blog post here.

Original Patent and Promotional Images

A. Debrie Interview (type d) No. 688 Image Gallery

REFERENCES:

"LE PARVO" Apparell de prise de vues cinématographiques NOTICE sur le FONCTIONNEMENT, J. DEBRIE Constructeur
Catalogue-des-établissements-André-Debrie. [1925]
Histoire du cinématographe de ses origines à nos jours, G. Michel Coissac [1925]
The Parvo-Debrie Model L, des-établissements-André-Debrie [1925]
Le Courrier cinematographique [1929]
Le Cinescope, revue technique de l'industrie cinématographique · Volume 11 [1929]
Cinémathéque Française
Motion Picture Photography: A History, 1891-1960, H. Mario Raimondo-Souto [2014]
The French Cinema Book, Michael Temple [2019]