Buffalo Dance

About the production

Filmed using Edison's Kinetograph camera, which was so heavy it had to be housed in the special Black Maria studio with a retractable roof for natural lighting. The performers were likely recruited from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, which was performing nearby. The film was shot on 35mm film at approximately 16 frames per second. The studio's black interior and controlled lighting conditions were necessary for the early film equipment's limitations.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Released around 1894, Buffalo Dance emerged while exhibitors were still defining how longer narratives could hold nickelodeon audiences.

Why this film matters

Later homages and restorations keep Buffalo Dance circulating among silent- and classic-film communities long after its first run.

Making of

The filming of Buffalo Dance took place in Edison's innovative Black Maria studio, the world's first film production facility. The studio was designed specifically to accommodate the heavy, stationary Kinetograph camera and maximize natural light through its retractable roof. The Native American performers, likely recruited from Buffalo Bill's popular Wild West Show which was touring the East Coast, had to adapt their traditional outdoor ceremony to the confined indoor space. The filmmakers faced significant technical challenges, including the need for extremely bright lighting and the camera's inability to move. The performers' apparent melancholy expressions noted by viewers may reflect both the artificiality of the setting and the broader context of Native Americans having to perform their cultural traditions for entertainment in a rapidly changing America.

What critics said

Trade papers near 1894 treated Buffalo Dance as program material—noticed when exhibitors needed a reliable slot-filler, seldom debated as auteur cinema.

Did you know?

• This is believed to be the first motion picture to feature Native American performers
• The three performers were veteran members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
• The film was part of Edison's series of 'actuality films' documenting various cultural performances
• The Black Maria studio was nicknamed the 'Doghouse' by Edison's staff due to its cramped conditions and resemblance to a police patrol wagon
• The film was shot on the same day as 'Sioux Ghost Dance', another Edison film featuring Native American performers
• The performers were paid for their appearance, though exact amounts are unknown
• The film was one of the first to document Native American culture, albeit in a staged studio environment
• William K.L. Dickson, Edison's primary filmmaker, was Scottish-born and one of the pioneers of motion picture technology
• The Kinetoscope viewers could only accommodate one person at a time, making this an intimate viewing experience
• The film survives today and is preserved in the Library of Congress archives

Visual style

The cinematography of Buffalo Dance reflects the technical limitations and innovations of 1894. Filmed using Edison's Kinetograph camera, the film employs a single static shot with the camera positioned to capture the full performance space. The lighting was provided by natural sunlight through the Black Maria's retractable roof, supplemented by reflectors to achieve the necessary exposure. The framing is straightforward, placing the performers center-stage against the studio's black backdrop. The camera operated at approximately 16 frames per second, giving the motion a slightly staccato quality typical of early cinema. Despite these technical constraints, the cinematography successfully documents the performers' movements and costumes with remarkable clarity for the period.

Innovations

Buffalo Dance showcases several important technical achievements of early cinema. The film demonstrates Edison's improved Kinetograph camera, which could reliably capture continuous motion. The Black Maria studio itself was a technical marvel, featuring a rotating platform to follow the sun and a retractable roof for optimal lighting. The film represents advancements in film stock sensitivity, allowing for the recording of relatively detailed images of performers in motion. The preservation of the film for over 130 years also speaks to the durability of early celluloid and the importance of archival practices. The synchronization of multiple performers within the frame also demonstrated early understanding of cinematic choreography and timing.

Memorable scenes

• The opening moments where the three performers stand still in full regalia before beginning their dance, creating a striking tableau of traditional Native American costume against the artificial studio backdrop. The dance sequence itself, where the performers execute movements mimicking a buffalo hunt, with their traditional clothing and war paint visible in remarkable detail for 1894. The poignant moments when individual dancers glance directly at the camera, creating a powerful connection across time and highlighting the intersection of cultural performance and emerging film technology.

What audiences thought

Buffalo Dance was viewed by individual audiences through Edison's Kinetoscope machines, which were installed in parlors where patrons paid to view various short films. Contemporary accounts suggest that audiences were fascinated by the novelty of moving images and particularly interested in films showing exotic or unusual subjects. Native American themes were especially popular given the contemporary fascination with the 'vanishing frontier.' Modern audiences viewing the film often express a mix of fascination at seeing authentic 19th-century Native American performers and discomfort at the staged nature of the performance within the artificial confines of the film studio.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Edison's earlier actuality films
• Eadweard Muybridge's motion studies
• Ethnographic photography
• Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show performances

This film influenced

• Sioux Ghost Dance (1894)
• Indian Day School (1898)
• Later ethnographic documentaries
• Hollywood Westerns' depiction of Native Americans

Film restoration

Preserved and restored by the Library of Congress. The film survives in good condition and has been digitized for archival purposes. It is part of the paper print collection, where early films were submitted for copyright protection by being printed on photographic paper. This preservation method ironically saved many early films that would have otherwise been lost to nitrate decomposition.

Where to watch

• Library of Congress National Screening Room
• Internet Archive
• Early Cinema databases
• Museum of Modern Art film collection
• Edison National Historic Site archives