The Sinking of the Lusitania
Encyclopedia
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918
) is an animated short film by American
artist Winsor McCay
. It features a short 12-minute explanation of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
after it was struck by two torpedoes* fired from a German
U-boat
. The film was one of many animated silent films published to create anti-German sentiment
during World War I
. It runs on 35 mm film
, commonly used by McCay in other productions such as How a Mosquito Operates, and Little Nemo
. McCay illustrated some 25,000 drawings for the production. The film is stylized as a documentary
, informing viewers on details from the actual event, including a moment by moment recap, casualty list, and a list of prominent figures who were killed. A modern edition was released on DVD
in January 1999.
* It has been revealed since that it was in fact struck by only one torpedo. A second explosion took place but its cause is debated (see RMS Lusitania
).
1918 in film
The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
) is an animated short film by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
. It features a short 12-minute explanation of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
after it was struck by two torpedoes* fired from a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. The film was one of many animated silent films published to create anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment is defined as an opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.-Russia:...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It runs on 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
, commonly used by McCay in other productions such as How a Mosquito Operates, and Little Nemo
Little Nemo
Little Nemo is the main fictional character in a series of weekly comic strips by Winsor McCay that appeared in the New York Herald and William Randolph Hearst's New York American newspapers from October 15, 1905 – April 23, 1911 and April 30, 1911 – July 26, 1914; respectively.The...
. McCay illustrated some 25,000 drawings for the production. The film is stylized as a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, informing viewers on details from the actual event, including a moment by moment recap, casualty list, and a list of prominent figures who were killed. A modern edition was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in January 1999.
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
).