The Martyred Presidents

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The Martyred Presidents
Title card for film
Directed byEdwin S. Porter
StarringSee below
CinematographyEdwin S. Porter
Release date
1901
Running time
1 minute
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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]

  1. ^ Niver, Kemp R. (1968). The First Twenty Years: A Segment of Film History. Locare Research Group. p. 21. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ Musser, Charles (Autumn 1979). "The Early Cinema of Edwin Porter". Cinema Journal. 19 (1): 16–17.
  3. ^ "The martyred presidents / Thomas A. Edison, Inc". Retrieved 9 March 2013.

External links[edit]


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