Justinian's Human Torches
About Justinian's Human Torches
Emperor Justinian dines with guests in a palace room while dancers perform. He then orders Christians brought in. They are bound in bundles of fagots and fastened to wooden crosses in the courtyard. The bundles are lit, and the dinner party watches them burn.
Cast & crew
More about Justinian's Human Torches
Georges Méliès directed this Star Film scene, numbered 1066–1068 in the 1908 American catalogue. That listing gives a length of 187 feet and a print price of $22.44. The French title is Les Torches humaines. An alternate English title is Justinian's Human Torches 548 A.D. Wikidata times it at 4 minutes.
Themes
Background
The catalogue places the burning in Justinian's court and sells it as a historical scene, with the year 548 attached to one English title.
Music
Silent.
Preservation
A copy is included in the Flicker Alley Méliès DVD set.
Notes
- The 1908 Star Film catalogue prints the scene under the New York office address, 204 East 38th Street.
- The next catalogue number, 1069–1072, is The Genii of Fire.
- IMDb lists the short in the Flicker Alley set Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema (1896–1913).
- No English Wikipedia article is attached to the Wikidata item.
Scenes
- Dancers entertain the palace dinner.
- Prisoners are tied into fagots on courtyard crosses.
- The dinner party watches the bundles burn.
Also available
- Flicker Alley DVD Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema (1896–1913)
