''The Boston Tea Party'' is a 1908 silent film directed by

Edwin S. Porter Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over ...

, and produced and distributed by Edison Studios. The film is a fictionalized depiction of the events of the December 16, 1773,

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell t ...

. It was the film debut of actor Charles Stanton Ogle.Alt URL
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Plot

Described by Edison Films as an "unrivalled historical production of colonial times", the synopsis of scenes was:

Production

The film was one of the first two films at Edison Studios made using a two production-unit system, by

J. Searle Dawley James Searle Dawley (October 4, 1877 – March 30, 1949) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, stage actor, and playwright. Between 1907 and the mid-1920s, while working for Edison, Rex Motion Picture Company, Famous Player ...

and Frederick S. Armitage under the supervision of Edwin S. Porter.

Reception

The film received both positive and negative reviews. It was criticized for a lack of coherent narrative, and described as "marred by the obscurity of the opening scenes." Newspapers reportedly described it as "an exciting historical film" and "an exceptionally interesting reproduction of that historic event."

References

American historical drama films 1900s historical drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Edwin S. Porter Films directed by J. Searle Dawley 1900s American films Silent American drama films {{historic-film-stub