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Electrocuting an Elephant is a american film of genre Documentary directed by Edwin S. Porter released in USA on 12 january 1903 with Thomas Alva Edison
Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)
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Add to a movie listElectrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American, short, black-and-white, silent documentary film of the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park. It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith,.
Synopsis
This film documents the publicly announced January 4, 1903 killing of Topsy the elephant at the (still under construction) Luna Park on Coney island. The elephant had recently been acquired from Forepaugh Circus where she had a reputation as a "bad" elephant, having killed a drunken spectator the previous year who burnt the tip of her trunk with a lit cigar. After several incidents at Luna Park (sometimes attributed to the actions of her drunken handler, William "Whitey" Alt) the owners of Luna Park, Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy, claimed they could no longer handle the elephant and announced they would hang Topsy in a public spectacle and charge admission. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stepped in, questioning the idea of hanging an elephant as well as making a public spectacle out of the death of an animal. Thompson and Dundy cut the event back to invited guest and press only and agreed to use a more sure method of strangling the elephant with large ropes tied to a steam powered winch. They also agreed they would use poison and electricity as well.Actors
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Suggestions of similar film to Electrocuting an Elephant
There are 2 films with the same actors, 98 films with the same director, 8964 with the same cinematographic genres, 3515 films with the same themes (including 34 films with the same 3 themes than Electrocuting an Elephant), to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.If you liked Electrocuting an Elephant, you will probably like those similar films :
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« La caméra, plantée sur un trottoir de New York, filme le va-et-vient des piétons. Le spectateur se demande ce qu’elle guette. Un gamin, posté un peu plus loin, se pose apparemment la même question en espionnant à son tour la caméra. Rien de notable ne se passe, une dame se dirige vers nous, bifurque et traverse, un homme hésite et file, le temps passe… Qui attend-on ainsi, ou quoi ? Enfin, notre curiosité reçoit sa récompense. Au loin, dans la profondeur de champ, un couple jeune et bien mis s’avance. Nous les distinguons des autres passants parce qu’ils ne semblent pas vaquer à leur travail, selon toute apparence, ils sont heureux de vivre et de marcher ensemble. Maintenant, ils passent au-dessus de la bouche d’aération du métro que nous remarquons enfin à quelques mètres de la caméra. Sous le puissant souffle souterrain, la robe de la jeune femme se soulève alors et découvre les mollets et les genoux avant d’être rabattue prestement. » La jeune femme éclate de rire et le couple effectue une sortie de champ.
Day at the Circus (1901)
Directed by Edwin S. Porter
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Genres Documentary
Themes Circus films
Rating54%
