Decapitation in Turkey (1904)
"Le bourreau turc" (original title)

In a public place in Constantinople at the corner of a bazaar, the executioner is seated upon a stone and is resting from his daily labors while eating a crust of bread. Suddenly there come... See full summary »

Director:

Georges Méliès

Stars:

Georges Méliès

Cast

Credited cast:
Georges Méliès

Storyline

In a public place in Constantinople at the corner of a bazaar, the executioner is seated upon a stone and is resting from his daily labors while eating a crust of bread. Suddenly there come running into the place a lot of Turkish men and women preceding some Turkish policemen, who drag along four prisoners in chains. The policemen shut up the four prisoners in the pillory. Their four heads stick up through the huge plank, which is provided with four openings. One of the policemen urges the executioner to decapitate the prisoners. He accordingly seizes a mighty sabre and cuts off by a single stroke the four heads, which roll upon the ground. After having placed the heads in a cask, he resumes eating his meal. Immediately the four heads pop out of the cask one at a time to see what the executioner is doing, and in due order each one seeks its body. The four executed prisoners thus reunited throw themselves upon the headsman and in spite of his resistance one of them picks up the sabre ...

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Plot Keywords:

executioner | decapitation | turk | cut in half | head cut off | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

9 January 1904 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Terrible Turkish Executioner

Filming Locations:

Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Georges Méliès, Star-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

3 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Terrible Turkish Executioner

Terrible Turkish Executioner, The (1904)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

aka Le Bourreau turc

Four men are brought to a street corner where the local executioner cuts their heads off and throws them into a barrel. When the executioner begins to drink his wine, the heads get out of the barrel and back onto the dead men's bodies so that they can seek revenge. This is a very funny little film that manages to be rather shocking in its violence but all of it is done with a great sense of humor. Not only do we see the four men get their heads cut off but we also witness the executioner getting cut in half only to have his legs dance around while his top half tries to catch them. It's rather easy to spot how the special effects were done but that doesn't take away from the charm.