The Black Witch

1907 Fantasy 4 minutes

About The Black Witch

In an Arabic household a sorceress summons spirits for the people there. She then shows them further wonders.

More about The Black Witch

A Pathé trick short, French title La sorcière noire. No director is credited. Listings give four minutes and a United States date of December 28, 1907. The surviving copy Boblipton describes is stencil-colored, with one close-up chosen for a trick.

Themes

Look

The camera stays put, like a theater seat, so the stencil color and the appearances read clearly. One trick is singled out in a close-up.

Technique

The print Boblipton saw uses Pathé stencil color rather than a single tint.

Notes

  • The French title is La sorcière noire.
  • It runs about half a reel.
  • The backdrop is a painted Arabian set.
  • The director is not named on the Pathé record used by later catalogues.

Scenes

  • The sorceress calls spirits into the room, then moves on to larger wonders.