The Execution of Mary Stuart
Encyclopedia
The Execution of Mary Stuart is a short film produced in 1895
. The film depicts the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The 18-second-long film was produced by Thomas Edison
and may have been the first film in history to use trained actors, as well as one of the first to use editing for the purposes of special effects. The film shows an uncredited, blindfolded actress (playing Mary) being led to the execution block. The executioner raises his axe and an edit occurs during which the actress is replaced by a mannequin. The mannequin's head is chopped off and the executioner holds it in the air as the film ends.
1895 in film
-Events:* February–March - Robert W. Paul and Birt Acres build and run the first working 35 mm movie camera in Britain, the Kineopticon. Their first films include Incident at Clovelly Cottage, The Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race and Rough Sea at Dover.* In France, the brothers...
. The film depicts the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The 18-second-long film was produced by Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
and may have been the first film in history to use trained actors, as well as one of the first to use editing for the purposes of special effects. The film shows an uncredited, blindfolded actress (playing Mary) being led to the execution block. The executioner raises his axe and an edit occurs during which the actress is replaced by a mannequin. The mannequin's head is chopped off and the executioner holds it in the air as the film ends.