Buffalo Dance

1894 ""

Buffalo Dance

5.4 | en | Documentary

Long before Hollywood started painting white men red and dressing them as 'Injuns' Edison's company was using the genuine article! Featuring for what is believed to be the Native Americans first appearance before a motion picture camera 'Buffalo Dance' features genuine members of the Sioux Tribe dressed in full war paint and costume! The dancers are believed to be veteran members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Filmed again at the Black Maria studios by both Dickson and Heise the 'Buffalo Dance' warriors were named as Hair Coat, Parts His Hair and Last Horse. Its quite strange seeing these movies at first they all stand around waiting to begin and as they start some of the dancers look at the camera in an almost sad way at having lost their way of life.

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5.4 | en | Documentary | More Info

Released: September. 23,1894 | Released Producted By: Edison Studios , Country: Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

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Director

William Heise

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Edison Studios ,

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Reviews

kobe1413 Partners W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise filmed this seventeen-second short for Edison Laboratories. They filmed three Native-American dancers recreating what the title call "the Buffalo Dance".Not much to recommend here as a film, other than its dubious value as a cultural artifact. These Native-Americans are obviously performers, so it is hard to determine the authenticity of their wardrobe and movements. This film may be more of how the white filmmakers Heise and Dickson viewed Native-Americans. I do like how one of the dancers never takes his eyes off of the camera, staring it down as he dances.I rate it a 2 out of 10.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) It's basically 15 seconds of Indians (one of them quite a porker) dancing to another Indian playing the drums. This one was released in 1894, just like the Dickson Experimental Sound Film, even pretty much at the same time month-wise. Sadly we have no sound in here. Otherwise it might have been easier to go back in time in our minds and feel the vibe the Indians were getting during the production of this little short film.What I find most interesting about it is how one of the three dancers is clearly interacting with the camera and the viewer. He seems to have understood this new medium much more than the other two who are basically just doing their show as if nobody else was in the room.

Boba_Fett1138 This Edison short got filmed on the same day as "Sioux Ghost Dance", though I have the feeling that that short was the more interesting one. Not just because it was the first (or was it? Guess we can only assume so) but also because of the way how the scene got set up.Thing I didn't liked too much about this short was that it cut right in into the action and the natives are right in the middle of their dance already when the camera gets switched on. The Indians in it also seem to be very aware of the camera, as they are constantly looking up, right into it. The whole movie just because of that doesn't feel very natural or interesting.They again used some real native, that were part of the Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Unlike "Sioux Ghost Dance", the names of the performers are actually known by their native names Last Horse, Parts His Hair and Hair Coat. Guess all the cool names already were taken when they were born.Not that interesting and also not as renewing or well set up, especially when you compare it to "Sioux Ghost Dance".5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

PeterJordan Another clip from the shots taken on September 24th 1894 in Edison's Black Maria studio with William Heise behind the camera. This 15 second (20 fps) clip features the three named Native American dancers (from Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show) plus three drummers. It is interesting to note that the three dancers are particulary aware of the camera and appear to act to it on occasion, although this may be merely a feature of the Buffalo dance itself or quite possibly under receipt of direction from Movies first ever acting coach/director behind the camera.