The Night Before Christmas | |
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![]() Santa Claus at the end of the film | |
Directed by | Edwin S. Porter |
Written by | Clement Clarke Moore (poem) |
Starring | Harry Eytinge |
Cinematography | Edwin S. Porter |
Distributed by | Edison Manufacturing Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 9:00 (800 feet) |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Night Before Christmas is a 1905 American silent short film directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Manufacturing Company.[1] It closely follows Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem Twas the Night Before Christmas, and was the first film production of the poem.[2][3]
Plot summary
[edit]Scenes are introduced using lines of the poem.[2] Santa Claus, played by Harry Eytinge, is shown feeding real reindeer[4] and finishes his work in the workshop. Meanwhile, the children of a city household hang their stockings and go to bed, but unable to sleep they engage in a pillow fight. Santa Claus leaves his home on a sleigh with his reindeer. He enters the children's house through the chimney and leaves the presents. The children come down the stairs and enjoy their Christmas presents.
Production
[edit]1,670 ft of film was shot, with 798 ft used.[2] A panoramic shot of Santa Claus riding his sleigh over hills and the moon was shot using miniatures and a painted backdrop.[1] The film is available on the Kino DVD A Christmas Past.[3][4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Musser, Charles (1991). Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06986-2.
- ^ a b c Musser, Charles (1994). The Emergence of Cinema: the American Screen to 1907. Volume 1 of History of the American Cinema. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08533-7.
- ^ a b "A Christmas Past". Kino Video. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Atkinson, Michael; Laurel Shifrin (2007). "Christmas". Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal, and Whim. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-714-2.
External links
[edit]Media related to The Night Before Christmas (1905 film) at Wikimedia Commons
The full text of The Night Before Christmas (film) at Wikisource
- The Night Before Christmas at IMDb
- The Night Before Christmas is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Night Before Christmas on YouTube