The Martyred Presidents
| The Martyred Presidents | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Edwin S. Porter |
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | Edwin S. Porter |
Release date |
|
Running time | 1 minute |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Martyred Presidents is a 1901 American film directed by Edwin S. Porter.
Plot summary
[edit]The film, just over a minute long, is composed of two shots. In the first, a girl sits at the base of an altar or tomb, her face hidden from the camera. At the center of the altar, a viewing portal displays the portraits of three U.S. Presidents—Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley—each victims of assassination.[1]
In the second shot, which runs just over eight seconds long, an assassin kneels at the feet of Lady Justice.
Production
[edit]Evocative of early magic lantern and Phantasmagoria shows, The Martyred Presidents is part of a cycle of films made by the Edison Studios to chronicle the McKinley assassination in Buffalo, New York at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.[2] An Edison catalog from the time suggests to exhibitors that The Martyred Presidents be used as a closing tableau when "...shown in connection with the funeral ceremonies of the illustrious McKinley."[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Niver, Kemp R. (1968). The First Twenty Years: A Segment of Film History. Locare Research Group. p. 21. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Musser, Charles (Autumn 1979). "The Early Cinema of Edwin Porter". Cinema Journal. 19 (1): 16–17. doi:10.2307/1225418. JSTOR 1225418.
- ^ "The martyred presidents / Thomas A. Edison, Inc". Retrieved 9 March 2013.
External links
[edit]- The Martyred Presidents at IMDb
- The Martyred Presidents is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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- 1901 films
- 1901 short films
- 1900s American films
- 1900s English-language films
- American black-and-white films
- American silent short films
- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
- Assassination of James A. Garfield
- Cultural depictions of James A. Garfield
- Assassination of William McKinley
- Cultural depictions of William McKinley
- Films about assassinations
- Films directed by Edwin S. Porter
- Surviving American silent films
- English-language short films
- Short silent film stubs