Cast: William McKinley, Joseph Garney Cannon, John Dalzell

Synopsis:

What really is there to say about a film shot from a distance which has rendered all detail virtually indecipherable? It’s a shame that President McKinley Taking the Oath is in such poor condition, because it’s the first swearing in of a US President ever captured on film. You’d think that even back then, when the cinema was still a new medium, the President and his staff might have grasped the beneficial use to which it could have been put in terms of positive publicity, but clearly politicians weren’t quite as media conscious as they are today. The film’s a blur, to be honest, but at least it still exists…

(Reviewed 10th September 2014)