Santa Claus (1898)
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Uploaded by BFIfilms on Dec 5, 2008
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. (Michael Brooke)
You can watch over 2000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the BFI Mediatheque. There are Mediatheques at BFI Southbank, London, QUAD, Derby, Central Library, Cambridge, Wrexham Library and the Discovery Museum, Newcastle:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque
http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/bfi-mediatheque
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/online/bfi_media.htm
http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/community/libraries/LibHome.htm
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/
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32?! I thot there would like 4 or 5.
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114 years ago..wow! This before Coca-Cola created Santa Claus!
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They had Santa Claus back in 1898?
I am shocked!
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@epiksonik Even that many is a surprise to me! That is OLD! Sad to think there will be no one from the 1800's before much longer. When I was young, it was common to know people who had been alive during the Civil War and Lincoln's presidency. I'm dating myself. Old age is something to be proud of, not kept secret! Women of the world, are you listening?!? :-)
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113 years ago lol wow..
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@godstomper Not Santa
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@7913Daniel no. Sound didn't come in til much later
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Damn Santa dropped the little boy's soldier out of his stocking. No standards.
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WOW ! Thanks for this and Merry Christmas
MegaMaryThomas 1 year ago 35
Imagine trying to explain the movie "Tron" to these people.
CaptainCujo 9 months ago 14