Ringling Brothers Parade Film

Ringling Brothers Parade Film is a 1902 short subject film produced by William Nicholas Selig. The three-minute film captures a Ringling Brothers Circus parade featuring elephants, camels, and caged lions in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Onlookers are visible along the route as the parade moved south on Capitol Avenue, past the Indiana Statehouse, then east on Washington Street.[1]

Ringling Brothers Parade Film
still from the film
Produced byWilliam Nicholas Selig
Release date
  • July 1902 (1902-07)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent

The film was thought lost until 2011 when an Oakland, California, couple donated an unmarked canister containing the film to the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. After the film was researched, identified, and restored, it was uploaded to YouTube in October 2020.[1] In 2021, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It was chosen because it depicted a rare glimpse of a northern Black community in the early 20th century.[2]

As of December 2021, it is the eleventh oldest film in the registry.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lindquist, Dave (December 23, 2021). "1902 movie made in Indianapolis added to National Film Registry". Indianapolis Business Journal. IBJ Media Corp. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "'Return of the Jedi' Among 25 Eclectic Films Joining National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
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