Battle of Santiago Bay (1898)

• Documentary

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.

Rating

2 / 10 (1 votes)

Release date

January 1, 1898

Runtime

15m

Language

English

Director

J. Stuart Blackton

Status

Released