Rip Van Winkle (film)
| Rip Van Winkle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle by Napoleon Sarony |
|
| Directed by | William K.L. Dickson |
| Written by | William K.L. Dickson Joseph Jefferson Dion Boucicault Washington Irving |
| Starring | Joseph Jefferson |
| Cinematography | G.W. Bitzer |
| Studio | American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. |
| Release date(s) | May 1903 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent |
Rip Van Winkle is a 1903 American short black-and-white silent compilation film written and directed by William K.L. Dickson adapted from the play by his friend and investor Joseph Jefferson with Dion Boucicault based on the story of the same name by Washington Irving, featuring Joseph Jefferson as a ne'er-do-well, who wanders off one day into the Kaatskill mountains where he runs into an odd group of men, drinks some of their mysterious brew and passes out only to wake up to find 20 years have passed. The film is compiled from a series of films produced in 1896, which consisted of;
- Rip's Toast (AM&B Cat. #45)
- Rip Meets the Dwarf (AM&B Cat. #46)
- Rip and the Dwarf
- Rip Leaving Sleepy Hollow (AM&B Cat. #52)
- Rip's Toast to Hudson and Crew
- Rip's Twenty Years' Sleep (AM&B Cat. #50)
- Awakening of Rip
- Rip Passing Over Hill
These films were added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1995 and featured on the DVD release More Treasures from American Film Archives, 1894-1931.
[edit] Production
The serial, which was filmed on the grounds of Joseph Jefferson's summer home in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, USA, in August 1896, was shot in wide or long shot with a one or two camera setup in 68 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.36:1 and was registered for copyright by American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. in February 4, 1897. The scenes selected by the actor were those which were largely pantomimed on stage thereby eliminating the need for explanatory titles.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Eagan, Daniel. America's Film Legacy: A Guide to the Library of Congress National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board. pp. 6-7.
