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Video & Multimedia

Adenoid_Hynkel

(14,093 posts) Sat Dec 22, 2012, 07:59 PM Dec 2012

Santa Claus (1898)

Merry Christmas from 114 years ago

Made in 1898, G.A. Smith's 'Santa Claus' is a film of considerable technical ambition and accomplishment for its period. It uses pioneering visual effects in its depiction of a visit from St. Nicholas.

A former magic lanternist and hypnotist, Smith was one of the first British film-makers to make extensive use of special effects to create fantastical scenes. It comes as little surprise that Smith corresponded with the French pioneer Georges Méliès at about this time, as the two men shared a common goal in terms of creating an authentic cinema of illusion.

4 replies

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Santa Claus (1898) (Original Post) Adenoid_Hynkel Dec 2012 OP

And stockings on the foot rails of the bed! Also, I love the closing line: NYC_SKP Dec 2012 #1

Simply Wonderful!!** oh, former magic lanternist too and hyponotist... cool lunasun Dec 2012 #2

k & r surrealAmerican Dec 2012 #3

This needs a blooper reel... Beartracks Dec 2012 #4

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)

1. And stockings on the foot rails of the bed! Also, I love the closing line:

Reply to Adenoid_Hynkel (Original post)

Sat Dec 22, 2012, 08:02 PM

Dec 2012

"The Rest is Noise"

Happy Season!

lunasun

(21,646 posts)

2. Simply Wonderful!!** oh, former magic lanternist too and hyponotist... cool

Reply to Adenoid_Hynkel (Original post)

Sat Dec 22, 2012, 08:09 PM

Dec 2012

surrealAmerican

(11,361 posts)

3. k & r

Reply to Adenoid_Hynkel (Original post)

Sat Dec 22, 2012, 10:37 PM

Dec 2012

beautiful old film

Beartracks

(12,816 posts)

4. This needs a blooper reel...

Reply to Adenoid_Hynkel (Original post)

Sun Dec 23, 2012, 03:21 AM

Dec 2012

... which would be really awkward for a film this short -- but Santa's present fell out of the second stocking right after he put it in there. ... ...

But this is amazing footage. Thanks for the post!

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