Battle of Santiago Bay

Overview

Vitagraph’s Battle of Santiago Bay (1898) blended real Spanish–American War footage with tabletop trickery. Albert E. Smith’s authentic San Juan material looked underwhelming, so he and partner J. Stuart Blackton staged the naval clash on a miniature set: cardboard ships afloat in shallow water, firecracker “explosions,” and clouds of smoke from cigars and cigarettes. Spliced together, the hybrid film was embraced as genuine by audiences and became one of the most popular war films of its day.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

January 1, 1898

Original language

English

Countries

United States of America

Production

Vitagraph Company of America

Director

J. Stuart Blackton

Producer

Albert E. Smith,J. Stuart Blackton

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt0000173