Electrocuting an Elephant

Electrocuting an Elephant
The moment electricity is shot through Topsy's body. The smoke around her is the result of heat generated by the electrical current.
CinematographyEdwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith
Distributed byEdison Manufacturing Company
Release date
  • January 17, 1903 (1903-01-17)
Running time
74 seconds (70 feet of film)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent

Electrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American black-and-white silent actuality short depicting the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park. It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by either Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith.[1]

  1. ^ silentera.com, Electrocuting an Elephant, Also known as Electrocution of an Elephant in the USA (1903), American B&W : 70 feet, directed by Edwin S. Porter and/or Jacob Blair Smith