The Night Before Christmas (1905 film)

The Night Before Christmas is a 1905 American silent short film directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Manufacturing Company.^[1] It closely follows Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem Twas the Night Before Christmas, and was the first film production of the poem.^[2][3]

The Night Before Christmas
Santa Claus at the end of the film
Directed by	Edwin S. Porter
Written by	Clement Clarke Moore (poem)
Starring	Harry Eytinge
Cinematography	Edwin S. Porter
Distributed by	Edison Manufacturing Company
Release date	December 16, 1905 (1905-12-16)
Running time	9:00 (800 feet)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Night Before Christmas (1905).

Plot summary

Scenes are introduced using lines of the poem.^[2] Santa Claus, played by Harry Eytinge, is shown feeding real reindeer^[4] and finishes his work in the workshop. Meanwhile, the children of a city household hang their stockings and go to bed, but unable to sleep they engage in a pillow fight. Santa Claus leaves his home on a sleigh with his reindeer. He enters the children's house through the chimney and leaves the presents. The children come down the stairs and enjoy their Christmas presents.

Production

1,670 ft of film was shot, with 798 ft used.^[2] A panoramic shot of Santa Claus riding his sleigh over hills and the moon was shot using miniatures and a painted backdrop.^[1] The film is available on the Kino DVD A Christmas Past.^[3][4]

See also

• List of Christmas films
• Santa Claus in film