Directed by: Alfred Clark
While Blacksmith Scene (1893) was a historical re-creation, this is the first to be based on a specific historic event – the beheading of Mary I of Scotland on February 8, 1587, for her role in the Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. It is also significant for two other reasons. First of all, it might well be the first film to use special effects (a substitution splice). Cinema legend has it that audiences, unaccustomed to the capabilities of the medium, were horrified by the beheading and believed an actress sacrificed her life for the film. Second, the frame has been divided into four rows of actors to create a sense of depth. From front to back:
1. Mary
2. The executioner
3. Two guards
4. Row of guards
This shows that careful consideration had been put into the composition of the shot and contrasts with earlier films produced by Thomas Edison, which were generally shot against a black backdrop with very little sense of depth.
Bibliography
Barry, M. (2010). ‘Alfred Clark: Narrative and Special Effects Pioneer’, The Art and Culture of Movies, 8 March. Available at: http://artandcultureofmovies.blogspot.com.ee/2010/03/alfred-clark-narrative-and-special.html [Accessed: 4 December 2021].
Encyclopædia Britannica contributors (2021). ‘Elizabeth I’, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 September. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-I [Accessed: 4 December 2021].
History Magazine (2001). ‘The Babington Plot’, History Magazine. Available at: https://www.history-magazine.com/babington.html [Accessed: 4 December 2021].
IMDb contributors (n.d.). ‘The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895)’, IMDb. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132134/ [Accessed: 4 December 2021].
Reel Lessons 