. . . as light bulb mogul Thomas Edison's henchmen needed an encore after spotlighting the world's "oldest profession" in ANNABELLE BUTTERFLY DANCE. So they got out their grandmas' Old Testaments, thumbed through them looking for various vices and sin locales, and discovered that cockfighting was considered "civilization's" oldest form of torture porn (a.k.a. "spectator sport"), getting its start 6,000 years ago in Persia. Elamite religious practices at that time would provide fodder for a dozen Clive Barker horror flicks in the latter days. Though the sacrifice of noble American egg producers was a minor sin compared to other heathen perverseness numbered among the ancient evils of Elam, it was a "cheapie" which the ever penny-pinching Edison was willing to undertake for the sake of "art." Watch COCKFIGHT No. 2 for yourself to see if these birds are having fun. Do not look for a humane association certificate of approval in the end credits--there is none!
6 Reviews
Of Some Interest As A Historical Example
Snow Leopard8 December 2005
This brief footage is primarily of interest as part of the early history of movie-making, and in particular of the Edison Company's early practices. The footage itself will strike different viewers today in different ways; some will merely find it a curio, while to others it will be understandably unsettling to see the controversial practice of cockfighting on film. Either way, it is an indication of the kinds of material to be seen in the earliest movies, and it also serves as an example of the ways that the earliest film-makers developed their techniques.
The earliest movies contained an extraordinary variety of material, but in particular, it was far from uncommon to see shocking, risqué, or even illegal activities taking place in films made in the 1890s. This surviving footage of a cockfight is actually the second such picture that the Edison Company filmed in 1894. The negatives of the first one wore out quickly, and this remake was created in order to accommodate the demand for such features. (This is sometimes viewed today under the title of the original movie, "The Cock Fight", but it is actually the remake "Cock Fight No. 2" that survives.)
Besides providing evidence for the tastes of the early movie audiences, and for the willingness of at least some studios to satisfy those tastes, this feature also shows how quickly the earliest studios picked up on basic techniques. According to film historian Charles Musser (in his notes to the Kino DVD collection of Edison films), the original lacked the spectators in the background, who add an entirely new dimension to the action. The original also was apparently filmed against a dark background, as were most of the earliest Edison features, whereas the remake used a white background, which sets off the action much more effectively.
The earliest movies contained an extraordinary variety of material, but in particular, it was far from uncommon to see shocking, risqué, or even illegal activities taking place in films made in the 1890s. This surviving footage of a cockfight is actually the second such picture that the Edison Company filmed in 1894. The negatives of the first one wore out quickly, and this remake was created in order to accommodate the demand for such features. (This is sometimes viewed today under the title of the original movie, "The Cock Fight", but it is actually the remake "Cock Fight No. 2" that survives.)
Besides providing evidence for the tastes of the early movie audiences, and for the willingness of at least some studios to satisfy those tastes, this feature also shows how quickly the earliest studios picked up on basic techniques. According to film historian Charles Musser (in his notes to the Kino DVD collection of Edison films), the original lacked the spectators in the background, who add an entirely new dimension to the action. The original also was apparently filmed against a dark background, as were most of the earliest Edison features, whereas the remake used a white background, which sets off the action much more effectively.
There's a sequel? You gotta be kidding me.
Horst_In_Translation11 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
30 seconds of watching two cocks fight are 30 seconds too many. It makes me really sick to watch the pain the two inflict on each other and it's even worse to see the two men in the background cheering, joking and seemingly having a great time with this kind of animal violence. This film and the first are among Dickson's worst work. The topic is repulsive and there's no redeeming feature about this short movie at all. It's not educational. It's not artistic. It's just the worst case of a spectacle painful to watch. The only reason this should be put on tape is to display the cruelty involved and hope it can help in avoiding these events in the future. Not recommended.
cockfighting when it was cool...
kobe141313 July 2014
W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise make a short video of cockfighting around the turn-of-the-century. The film shows two cocks fighting with two men watching behind them. They smile and exchange what seems to be money as the bet on the match.
Its a little hard to watch such a heinous sport, but one must understand it was a different time, when such sports thrived. Dickson and Heise must have been on constant look-out for exciting and different subjects to film. However, there is not much to recommend this film. There is more interesting pieces filmed by the duo that displays what film was like in 1894.
Its a little hard to watch such a heinous sport, but one must understand it was a different time, when such sports thrived. Dickson and Heise must have been on constant look-out for exciting and different subjects to film. However, there is not much to recommend this film. There is more interesting pieces filmed by the duo that displays what film was like in 1894.
Edison: Invention of Movies
Michael_Elliott31 December 2008
Sandow (1894)
Carmencita (1894)
Boxing Cats (1894)
Caicedo With Pole (1894)
Annabelle Butterfly Dance (1894)
Cockfight, no. 2 (1894)
These six shorts from Edison, still early in the movie game, are rather interesting because of the self promoting factor in them. It's clear a few famous folks thought appearing in movies might bring more people to their actual show and on that level these shorts remain very interesting today. That's especially true when you consider the lack of footage of such acts. Sandow is Eugene Sandow, the man who claimed to be the strongest in the world. Shot on March 6, 1894, we see Sandow flexing in various ways in front of the camera. I'm not sure what he was thinking at the time of shooting but seeing this today is quite a laugh. Carmencita is the famous dancer doing her belly dance on screen making her the first woman to appear in an American movie. The film has become somewhat famous over the past several years because of various documentaries doing studies about early sexuality and how it caused so much controversy. This film, as innocent as they come, did strike a bit of outrage when originally released so it's fun to look at with that in mind. It's also worth noting that this was the first movie listed on the IMDb. Boxing Cats would have PETA members throwing a fit today but in 1894 seeing two animals fight, in a funny manor, was quite entertaining. Prof. Welton can be seen in the center of the frame directing his two cats, with boxing gloves on, to fight. This is actually pretty funny and it's worth noting that the cats throw more punches than a lot of the real fights that were filmed around this time with humans. Caicedo With Pole has hire-wire specialist Juan Caicedo jumping, bouncing and flipping on his wire, which must have been an amazing site when originally released. Annabelle Butterfly Dance features the famous Annabelle Moore dancing around a stage in a white outfit with wings attached. This here probably remains one of the most viewed shorts from this era with its images being shown throughout the world when it comes to exploring early cinema. Cockfight, no. 2 would be controversial today as it features two birds going after one another while two men in the background make bets. This was actually a remake so to speak as the original film was released earlier in the year and was apparently so popular that the prints wore out, which caused the studio to make this version. Apparently the original version didn't feature the men in the background.
Carmencita (1894)
Boxing Cats (1894)
Caicedo With Pole (1894)
Annabelle Butterfly Dance (1894)
Cockfight, no. 2 (1894)
These six shorts from Edison, still early in the movie game, are rather interesting because of the self promoting factor in them. It's clear a few famous folks thought appearing in movies might bring more people to their actual show and on that level these shorts remain very interesting today. That's especially true when you consider the lack of footage of such acts. Sandow is Eugene Sandow, the man who claimed to be the strongest in the world. Shot on March 6, 1894, we see Sandow flexing in various ways in front of the camera. I'm not sure what he was thinking at the time of shooting but seeing this today is quite a laugh. Carmencita is the famous dancer doing her belly dance on screen making her the first woman to appear in an American movie. The film has become somewhat famous over the past several years because of various documentaries doing studies about early sexuality and how it caused so much controversy. This film, as innocent as they come, did strike a bit of outrage when originally released so it's fun to look at with that in mind. It's also worth noting that this was the first movie listed on the IMDb. Boxing Cats would have PETA members throwing a fit today but in 1894 seeing two animals fight, in a funny manor, was quite entertaining. Prof. Welton can be seen in the center of the frame directing his two cats, with boxing gloves on, to fight. This is actually pretty funny and it's worth noting that the cats throw more punches than a lot of the real fights that were filmed around this time with humans. Caicedo With Pole has hire-wire specialist Juan Caicedo jumping, bouncing and flipping on his wire, which must have been an amazing site when originally released. Annabelle Butterfly Dance features the famous Annabelle Moore dancing around a stage in a white outfit with wings attached. This here probably remains one of the most viewed shorts from this era with its images being shown throughout the world when it comes to exploring early cinema. Cockfight, no. 2 would be controversial today as it features two birds going after one another while two men in the background make bets. This was actually a remake so to speak as the original film was released earlier in the year and was apparently so popular that the prints wore out, which caused the studio to make this version. Apparently the original version didn't feature the men in the background.
Popular for the Amount of Its Constant Action
Tornado_Sam4 November 2017
From the beginning of their career in the motion picture industry (which barely existed at this time), the Edison company quickly got a reputation for being the dirtiest motion picture business in the US, arguably in the entire world. Their promotions of boxing, belly-dancing and outright violence are responsible for all of the garbage that is filmed constantly in Hollywood today. "Cock Fight, No. 2" is a perfect example of how eager they were to make money filming violent topics. To film two cocks attacking each-other with such viciousness would be illegal and frowned upon today, yet at the time, blood-sports like these were often seen to be a form of entertainment. Keeping this in mind, it is no wonder the company chose to record such a topic on celluloid in order to promote this violence. Proof of the popularity this film gathered is obvious right in the title; to know that this film is "No. 2" automatically suggests there was a No. 1, originally titled "The Cock Fight". Furthermore, the fact that the negatives of this original short wore out from having too many copies made also tells us how much in demand for prints the Kinetoscope parlors were. Lastly, the additions of the men betting and the white background (both of which were not in the original, which had a black background) show how the company attempted to further improve their earlier efforts, in addition to keeping the demands for prints met.
Still, I do not believe that the company meant that much harm when they contributed to non-moral topics at the time. Outside the fact they knew how popular the sport was and were eager to make money off it, I believe there was another reason they chose this particular topic to shoot: the constant amount of action. I hate to go into details, but think about it: the way the two birds peck and nip at each-other so quickly, the way their wings flap around and all of that whirlwind activity. In the early motion picture business, it was not story that mattered; it was whether or not they could awe audiences with the biggest amount of action in frame. (Nowadays, of course, it's the exact opposite: now we care more about plot and suspense then we do about action onscreen). In filming a cockfight, twice the amount of action is administered to the scene then you'll see in Lumière's movies. The fact that Georges Méliès did his own version of the Cockfight idea five years later (in 1899's "A Lively Cock Fight"), where he billed it as "without doubt the liveliest and best, being full of action", also tells us there was a certain photographic value in the subject.
But I could be wrong. For all we know the people who call Edison a horrible person could be right, maybe he was just a jerk who enjoyed watching cruelty to animals. (Don't forget the company's production of "Rat Killer" from the same year). I haven't the slightest idea at all, but we can at least credit this and its predecessor to be the first films featuring live cocks.
Still, I do not believe that the company meant that much harm when they contributed to non-moral topics at the time. Outside the fact they knew how popular the sport was and were eager to make money off it, I believe there was another reason they chose this particular topic to shoot: the constant amount of action. I hate to go into details, but think about it: the way the two birds peck and nip at each-other so quickly, the way their wings flap around and all of that whirlwind activity. In the early motion picture business, it was not story that mattered; it was whether or not they could awe audiences with the biggest amount of action in frame. (Nowadays, of course, it's the exact opposite: now we care more about plot and suspense then we do about action onscreen). In filming a cockfight, twice the amount of action is administered to the scene then you'll see in Lumière's movies. The fact that Georges Méliès did his own version of the Cockfight idea five years later (in 1899's "A Lively Cock Fight"), where he billed it as "without doubt the liveliest and best, being full of action", also tells us there was a certain photographic value in the subject.
But I could be wrong. For all we know the people who call Edison a horrible person could be right, maybe he was just a jerk who enjoyed watching cruelty to animals. (Don't forget the company's production of "Rat Killer" from the same year). I haven't the slightest idea at all, but we can at least credit this and its predecessor to be the first films featuring live cocks.
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