Partners W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise filmed this seventeen-second short for Edison Laboratories. They filmed three Native-American dancers recreating what the title call "the Buffalo Dance".Not much to recommend here as a film, other than its dubious value as a cultural artifact. These Native-Americans are obviously performers, so it is hard to determine the authenticity of their wardrobe and movements. This film may be more of how the white filmmakers Heise and Dickson viewed Native-Americans. I do like how one of the dancers never takes his eyes off of the camera, staring it down as he dances.I rate it a 2 out of 10.

It's basically 15 seconds of Indians (one of them quite a porker) dancing to another Indian playing the drums. This one was released in 1894, just like the Dickson Experimental Sound Film, even pretty much at the same time month-wise. Sadly we have no sound in here. Otherwise it might have been easier to go back in time in our minds and feel the vibe the Indians were getting during the production of this little short film.What I find most interesting about it is how one of the three dancers is clearly interacting with the camera and the viewer. He seems to have understood this new medium much more than the other two who are basically just doing their show as if nobody else was in the room.

Buffalo Dance (1894) *** (out of 4) Another interesting piece of history, this Edison short runs just fifteen-seconds but it's very entertaining. We see three Indians doing a "buffalo dance", which was a ritual they'd do as part of the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show". I'm sure fans back in the day got a great kick (and laughter) out of seeing this but the movie remains interesting today just as a part of history. It's great seeing an actual show of what people back in the day were watching and with that in mind, this is the main reason why I love watching these older films. Those expecting some ground breaking action will be disappointed but silent film buffs will be entertained.

Another clip from the shots taken on September 24th 1894 in Edison's Black Maria studio with William Heise behind the camera. This 15 second (20 fps) clip features the three named Native American dancers (from Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show) plus three drummers. It is interesting to note that the three dancers are particulary aware of the camera and appear to act to it on occasion, although this may be merely a feature of the Buffalo dance itself or quite possibly under receipt of direction from Movies first ever acting coach/director behind the camera.