Mary Jane's Mishap
About Mary Jane's Mishap
Housemaid Mary Jane tries to light the kitchen stove by pouring paraffin on it. The stove explodes and blows her up the chimney. She comes out of the pot on the roof and her remains fall to the ground. Later her ghost rises from the grave, finds the paraffin can, and goes back to rest.
Cast & crew
More about Mary Jane's Mishap
George Albert Smith directed and photographed the comedy at his studio in St. Ann's Well Gardens, Hove. His wife, Laura Bayley, plays Mary Jane. Warwick Trading Company distributed it. The subtitle is Don't Fool with the Paraffin. Wikipedia dates the release to February 1903. John Barnes has argued for production in August 1902.
Themes
Reviews
John Barnes wrote in Film History (2004) that Mary Jane's Mishap could be considered the first modern film because of its technique.
Look
Smith photographed the film at St. Ann's Well Gardens, using a superimposition for the ghost and two wipes to change scenes.
Technique
The ghost is a double exposure, and the cutting moves between a wide view of the kitchen and closer views of Mary Jane.
Preservation
The film survives and is the subject of a BFI Screenonline essay by Michael Brooke.
Notes
- Michael Brooke, writing for BFI Screenonline, notes the mix of wide shots and medium close-ups, two wipes, and a superimposition for the ghost.
- The plot enlarges the 1901 Edison film The Finish of Bridget McKeen.
- In a 2004 Film History article Barnes called the technique far ahead of its time.
- Bayley, as Mary Jane, looks into the lens before the explosion.
- Wikidata lists 4 minutes. The Wikipedia infobox times the film at 4 minutes 8 seconds.
Scenes
- Mary Jane pours paraffin into the stove, winks, and is blown up the chimney.
- Her ghost climbs out of the grave to fetch the paraffin can.
Influenced by
- The Finish of Bridget McKeen (1901)
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-mary-janes-mishap)
