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Mary Jane's Mishap
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Wikipedia article
'Mary Jane's Mishap; or, Don't Fool with the Paraffin' is a 1903 British short silent comedy film, directed by George Albert Smith, depicting disaster following when housemaid Mary Jane uses paraffin to light the kitchen stove. The 'trick' film, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, "is an example of Smith's interest in cinematic effects - including, here, the use of superimposition to suggest ghosts," which, "is notable for its then sophisticated mix of wide establishing shots and medium close-ups," and, "also contains two 'wipes' to denote a change of scene."
Plot
A housemaid (played by Smith's wife, Laura Bayley) starts a fire in the kitchen stove by putting paraffin on it. It causes an explosion that sends her up the chimney. She emerges from the chimney pot on top of the house and her scattered remains fall to the ground. Later, Mary Jane's ghost rises from her grave to find her paraffin can and once she finds it, she goes to her final resting place.
Production
The plot of 'Mary Jane's Mishap' was probably inspired by a 1901 Edison Manufacturing Company film, 'The Finish of Bridget McKeen', but is enlarged to include new material, including a vein of dark comedy typical of the Brighton School of filmmaking.
'Mary Jane's Mishap' was filmed in Smith's studio at St. Ann's Well Gardens, Hove. Most film historians have described the film's production as taking place in 1903, although John Barnes instead considered a production date of August 1902 to be more plausible.
Critical analysis
John Barnes has written that "this could be considered as the first modern film", describing it as "far ahead of its time as regards film technique".
References
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