Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)

The fiend faces the spectacular mind-bending consequences of his free-wheeling rarebit binge.

Directors:

Wallace McCutcheon, Edwin S. Porter

Writer:

Winsor McCay (comic strip)

Stars:

Jack Brawn

Cast

Cast overview:
Jack Brawn	...	(as John P. Brawn)

Storyline

Adapted from Winsor McCay's films and comics of the period, this film follows the established theme: the "Rarebit Fiend" gorges himself on rarebit and thus suffers spectacular hallucinatory dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

rarebit | bed | dream | beer | devil | 

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Genres:

Short | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1906 (USA)

Also Known As:

Egy ínyenc álma

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edison Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the comic strip of the same name by Winsor McKay. This was the Edison Company's most popular film release in 1906, selling 192 copies during the year.

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Connections

Featured in Edison: The Invention of the Movies (2005)

User Reviews

More Than A Footnote

Although Edwin S. Porter is well known as the director of THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, the landmark short that combined a good story line, cross-editing and other remarkable techniques for its era, his role in American cinema history has largely been relegated to a footnote: Edison invents the motion picture camera, goes the hagiography, and Griffith comes along and perfected the story-telling of cinema. And, oh yeah, Porter directed this movie in 1902 that is actually all right.

But Porter was actually a wildly experimental cineaste. In more than 100 movies, he experimented with cross-cutting, story-telling, breaking the fourth wall -- remember at the end of THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY where the robber shoots a gun at the audience? -- and did lots of camera tricks, particularly here, where there are a couple of shots that have triple exposures.... and in an era when everything had to be done in the camera, using masks and stopwatches, he got some remarkable effects, which he used with great good humor.

This trick movie is based on Windsor McKay's DREAMS OF A RAREBIT FIEND series of cartoons. McKay did a series of cartoons based on it in the early 1920s, but this is pretty heady stuff for the era. It was Edison's blockbuster for 1906 -- they sold 192 copies of the film!