This film is part of Free
Beheading a Chinese Boxer
A grisly early fictional reconstruction inspired by atrocity stories from China's Boxer Rebellion.
Overview
News of China's Boxer Rebellion - the uprising of a secret society determined to rid China of foreign influences - caused quite a stir in Britain in 1900. Filmmakers responded to public outcry by offering fictional 'recreations' of events. This grisly example, attributed to Mitchell and Kenyon, uses a neat bit of editing to evoke the beheading of a Boxer rebel by Chinese authorities.
The prolific Blackburn-based partnership Mitchell and Kenyon produced at least one other fictional film on the subject of the Boxer Rebellion. But some contemporary catalogues suggest that this film (or at least something like it) was produced not by M&K but by Pathé or Walter Gibbons, and distributed by Warwick Trading Company. We may never know.
Related
Arrest of Goudie (1901) Arrest of Goudie (1901)
Crime 1901 6 mins Silent Location: Berry St, Liverpool
Crimewatch Mitchell and Kenyon style, in the first ever film to recreate a true crime.
Black Diamonds - the Collier's Daily Life (1904) Black Diamonds - the Collier's Daily Life (1904)
Non-Fiction 1904 3 mins Silent
The only two surviving scenes from an amazing Edwardian film about the work of Britain's coalminers.
Snowballs (1901) Snowballs (1901)
Comedy 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
Young scamps launch a snowball attack on a hapless bobby.
Lizars, Edinburgh Lizars, Edinburgh
Comedy 1904 2 mins Silent Location: Edinburgh
Mitchell and Kenyon capture comedian Tom E. Murray at Lizars Theatre in Edinburgh on 12 December 1904.
Mr Moon (1901) Mr Moon (1901)
Advert 1901 3 mins Silent
Rare production footage of an early 'trick' film with a famous music hall performer.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.