William McKinley at Canton, Ohio

This would be interesting to watch for the subject matter alone, even if for no other reason. Today we are used to seeing all kinds of footage of significant world leaders in various situations, but this is one of the very earliest motion pictures of an important world leader. It's no surprise to hear what a sensation this little feature was in its own time.

The footage itself might seem somewhat plain, if compared with what we are used to seeing now. But it allows the opportunity to see a long-past President as more than just a name or a still photograph. It can be hard to make long-ago historical figures seem human, especially those who are only known for a couple of actions or distinctions. Even a simple film like this can work well in making McKinley more of a flesh-and-blood person.

The outdoor scene is nice, also, since it makes the film seem more natural. Just seeing the way that McKinley is dressed, and the small mannerisms that you can glimpse here, makes it interesting.

William McKinley was an extremely popular President. (The man who assassinated him was a crackpot nihilist, who shot McKinley merely because he was the President ... not for any motive relevant to McKinley's policies.) Among McKinley's other achievements was his very dignified method of campaigning. McKinley refused to 'run' for office: instead, he made public appearances on the porch of his home near Canton, Ohio, politely answering the questions of reporters who came to interview him.

This brief film purports to show William McKinley at the moment when he receives the Republican nomination in the summer of 1896, but it's actually a re-enactment staged several weeks later. At this early point in the history of movies, most 'newsreels' were doubly phony because the kings and generals depicted onscreen were actually anonymous actors in disguise, re-staging recent events. *This* film is also a re-enactment, but at least it features the actual people it claims to depict. William McKinley's brother Abner and his mentor Benjamin Harrison (the former President) were stockholders in the Biograph Film Company, and they persuaded McKinley to appear onscreen. A two-man camera crew arrived at McKinley's home in September 1896, setting up their equipment outside McKinley's L-shaped house. McKinley comes out of the house with his secretary, George Cortelyou, who formally hands McKinley the nomination documents (actually, a prop). McKinley glances at the papers, takes off his hat to reveal his receding hairline, and mops his large forehead with an even larger handkerchief.

That's it. If you look closely at the porch in the background, you can see McKinley's wife: the former Ida Saxton sits on a rocking chair on the porch and fans herself during this gripping action. Mrs McKinley was a frail invalid: in private, she was pushed about in a wheelchair; in public, McKinley and his advisors went to great lengths to conceal her condition. When McKinley was fatally shot (in 1901, with George Cortelyou nearby), it's noteworthy that he ignored his own condition and spent his last conscious moments imploring Cortelyou to look after Mrs McKinley. By all accounts, the McKinleys were deeply in love. If he had lived, he might have been one of America's greatest Chief Executives ... he was certainly one of the most beloved.

This movie is a vitally important historic document, but because it's a staged re-enactment I'll rate it only 9 out of 10 instead of a full 10 points.

McKinley at Home (1896)

Biograph short shows President McKinley walking across his lawn and towards the camera.

Grandpa's Reading Glasses (1902)

*** (out of 4)

Biograph short has two little girl's looking through their grandfather's glasses and seeing everything magnified. Outside the early POV shots, this here isn't anything overly special.

Both films are available through Grapevine in their Biograph Without Griffith disc.

Without knowing as to who the characters are that appear in this film, the very important historical context it contains is lost. This movie is the first film of a US president ever made, starring none other than William McKinley himself, and working as a sort of promo for the president-to-be. The fact that McKinley was assassinated only five years after this film was shot continues to make the movie interesting to watch, as it would also be the first short of an assassinated president.

As other reviewers have already pointed out, the little action occurring in this thirty-second film was apparently an attempt to make a convincing reenactment of McKinley receiving the news of his nomination, to fool the audiences. The short simply features he and his secretary George Cortelyou walking across the lawn, opening the letter, and reading the news. While the print is rather blurry, it is obvious McKinley is looking at the camera, distracted by its presence and hence unable to produce a convincing performance. This film continued to be shown after the election of McKinley due to its popularity, and because of how extraordinary the medium still was to people at the time, it was a bigger deal for people seeing this in the cinemas than it is to see movies of political figures now.

Either way, and despite lack of good picture quality, this film is definitely above your typical actuality due to the character it portrays. Biograph certainly outdid itself this time: they really knew what would get an audiences' attention.

This short "documentary" from 1897 can be found in the Landmarks of Early Film DVD. Basically what it shows is President McKinley walking out of the White House, signing a piece of paper handed to him by a young man next to me, and then just strolling toward the camera for a few seconds before the film is over. Although this short does not have the charm and insight of the work of the Lumiere brothers, it is still fascinating to watch. You can see that McKinley is trying not to be different because there's a camera around, as is the young man next to him, but they are both greatly affected by its presence. You can also the wears and worries in McKinley, in his posture and movement, because he is far removed and you can hardly see his face. Even though this short decided to film someone of a stature far removed (instead of people exiting a factory or a train pulling into a station), it is still wonderful to watch, but for the few seconds you have to watch it.

President McKinley lived a long time ago. It took me a while to realize just how long ago this man was president. But this captures him. And now, he's timeless.

My grade: 7/10