Watch Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze

Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze is a black and white silent film created by the Edison Manufacturing Company. The film runs for approximately five seconds, and it features Fred Ott, an Edison employee, sneezing. The movie was one of the first films to be created using the Kinetoscope, a device invented by Thomas Edison that allowed people to view moving pictures. It was shot in Edison's Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey.

The film is a very simple and straightforward production that only has a single shot. In the opening scene, Fred Ott is shown seated at a table, looking directly at the camera. He appears to be holding a piece of paper or a book in his hands. There are no props, costumes, or other actors in the scene. The background is a plain backdrop of a studio.

As the film progresses, Ott appears to be preparing to read something when he suddenly sneezes. The sneeze takes him by surprise and causes him to jerk his head back slightly. The sound of the sneeze is not audible in the film since it was shot without sound. The film then cuts to black, indicating the end of the production.

Despite its brevity and simplicity, Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze was a groundbreaking film in terms of its technology and production. It is widely considered to be one of the first films ever made, and it was one of the first films to be distributed commercially. As a result, it played an essential role in the development of the motion picture industry.

The film's star, Fred Ott, was not a professional actor, but rather an Edison employee who became an accidental movie star. Ott was chosen for the film because, at the time, he was suffering from a cold, and his sneeze was expected to be more robust than usual. Ott's sneeze was captured on film for posterity, and his brief appearance in Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze would lead to him being remembered as one of the first movie stars.

Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze was not intended to be a dramatic or comedic film. Rather, it was made to demonstrate the capabilities of the Kinetoscope, which was a technological marvel of the time. The Kinetoscope was a cabinet-like device with a viewing window that allowed viewers to see moving images projected onto a small screen. The machine was the precursor to the modern movie projector and played a critical role in the early development of the film industry.

The film's simplicity is both its strength and its weakness. On the one hand, it is a testament to the power of cinema to capture everyday moments and make them into something worth watching. On the other hand, it is entirely unremarkable in terms of narrative or technical prowess.

In conclusion, Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze is a critical film in the history of the motion picture industry. It was one of the first films ever made and played an essential role in the development of cinema as an art form. While it is a simple and brief production, it is a reminder of the power of cinema to capture moments of everyday life and turn them into something significant. Even today, over a century after its creation, it is fascinating to watch Fred Ott's sneeze and think back to a time when the world was just starting to discover the magic of the movies.