The Night Before Christmas (1905)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Writer:

Clement Moore (poem)

Release Date:

16 December 1905 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Fantasy | Family

Plot:

Santa's Christmas Eve travels are animated by the use of miniatures.

Plot Keywords:

Pillow Fight | Reindeer | Santa Claus | Christmas | Toy

Runtime:

9 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Edison Manufacturing Company

Trivia:

Worldview Entertainment and the Killiam Collection has released a set of nine early movies about Christmas collectively called "A Christmas Past," with an original score by Al Kryszak. This movie is the ninth one, and has a running time of 9 minutes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special (2008) (TV)

Pioneering Christmas film features unusual diorama

This film was made by Edwin S. Porter for Edison in a style consistent with "The Great Train Robbery", though not containing quite as many setups. It is loosely based on Clement Clark Moore's original poem, and only includes brief snatches from the text in the form of titles. The opening scenes are short and deal with Santa's activities at the North Pole, as he feeds hay to his reindeer, works with his elves and updates his "list". Then it cuts to a rather long scene in a household with several children getting ready for Christmas and being sent up the staircase to bed. The most remarkable sequence in the film follows, as it consists of an elaborate turntable diorama portraying Santa, reindeer and sleigh traveling from the North Pole's icy wastes to the bright lights of the city. Some of the reindeer seem not to gallop quite consistently, but it is still an amazing achievement for a 1906 film. Then, in a scene well-known via an oft reproduced still, Santa is seen on rooftop, dropping his sack into the chiminy and going down it himself. The next scene is set in the same household as before, with Santa installing presents, stockings, decorations; he even puts up the tree! (This is followed by a title which is either misplaced or once led to scene which is now missing). The title is followed by another long scene where the children run down the stairs, open presents, jump around and generally involve themselves in the merriment and joy of Christmas. The film closes with a close-up shot of Santa with the caption "Merry Christmas To All." While "The Night Before Christmas" is not cut of quite the same ground-breaking cloth of the "The Great Train Robbery", it is still immensely charming as an early Christmas film, and the diorama constructed for Santa's journey is quite an impressive special effect for this era.