Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)

Directed by

Thomas Edison

Genre

documentary film, silent film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 14m

Rating

2.7 of 10 from 96 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is a short silent documentary from 1903. It shows the real execution of a circus elephant named Topsy by electrocution.

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What happens

Electrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American black-and-white silent actuality short depicting the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park on January 4, 1903. It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by either Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith. The film was released on January 17, 1903, 13 days after Topsy's death. It was later submitted to the Library of Congress as a paper print for copyright purposes. This form of submission may have saved the film for posterity since most films and negatives of this period decayed or were destroyed over time. It is believed to be the first time a death was ever captured in a motion picture film. As a film published in 1903, it is in the public domain. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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