The Execution of Mary Stuart
| The Execution of Mary Stuart | |
|---|---|
 Screen capture of a digitized version of the film | |
| Directed by | Alfred Clark |
| Produced by | Thomas Edison |
| Starring | Robert Thomae |
| Cinematography | William Heise |
| Distributed by | Edison Manufacturing Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 18 seconds |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film |
The Execution of Mary Stuart is an American silent trick film produced in 1895. The film depicts the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. It is the first known film to use special effects, specifically the stop trick.[1]
Production and content
[edit]The 18-second-long film was produced by Thomas Edison and directed by Alfred Clark and may have been the first film in history to use trained actors as well as the first to use editing for the purposes of special effects. The film shows a blindfolded Mary (played by Robert L. Thomas, a male actor playing the role of a woman, following a long theatrical tradition) being led to the execution block. The executioner raises his axe and an edit occurs during which the actor is replaced by a mannequin. The mannequin's head is chopped off and the executioner holds it in the air as the film ends.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sarat, Austin; Madeline, Chan; Maia, Cole; Melissa, Lang; Nicholas, Schcolnik; Jasjaap, Sidhu; Siegel, Nica (2015). "Scenes of Execution: Spectatorship, Political Responsibility, and State Killing in American Film". Punishment in Popular Culture. New York University Press. p. 199.
- ^ Musser, Charles (1991). Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company. University of California Press. p. 56.
External links
[edit]
- The Execution of Mary Stuart at IMDb
- The Execution of Mary Stuart is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Execution of Mary Stuart at AllMovie
- The Execution of Mary Stuart for download
- "Alfred Clark, Narrative and Special Effects Pioneer"
- The Execution of Mary Stuart on YouTube
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- 1895 films
- 1895 horror films
- 1895 short films
- 1890s American films
- American black-and-white films
- American horror short films
- American silent short films
- Films about Mary, Queen of Scots
- Films produced by Thomas Edison
- Films set in Northamptonshire
- Films set in Tudor England
- Edison Manufacturing Company films
- Silent horror films
- Surviving American silent films
- Trick films
- Short silent film stubs