Sunday, August 14, 2016

Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)

How bad is it? It's an important historical document.
Should you see it? Yes, because it's good.

This 3 minute Thomas Edison studios film has cropped up on some worst film lists, because it does indeed electrocute an elephant in real life. Topsy was dying of cancer and Edison wanted to show how electricity could be used for humane euthanasia. The results depend upon the viewer. There have been far more questionable films from that era, such as "In the Tombs" and "Invitation to a Hanging."

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