Difference between revisions of "File:1895 Clark (short).jpg"

{en} The Execution of Mary Stuart [1] (USA, 1895), directed by Alfred Clark, starring Robert L. Thomae. <silent; 18 sec.> <YouTube>

The 18-second-long film, produced by Thomas Edison, 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, specifically the stop trick. The film shows a blindfolded Mary (played by Mr. Robert L. Thomae, male actor in Shakespeare-Tradition also for female cast) 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.