| The Cavalier's Dream | |
| Producer: | Vitagraph Studios |
| Distributor: | Edison Studios |
| Runtime: | 1 minute |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
The Cavalier's Dream is an 1898 American silent horror trick film. While the film is sometimes credited to director Edwin S. Porter, this is an error. According to Charles Musser, the film was likely shot by Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton in the Manhattan rooftop studio of their new Vitagraph company, then an Edison licensee.[1]
A cavalier sits asleep at a bare table; an old witch enters, raps three times, then disappears; the cavalier sees the table spread for a sumptuous repast. Mephistopheles appears, then the old witch, who suddenly shapeshifts into a beautiful young girl. By the end of the film, the cavalier is surrounded by a dancing ring of hooded figures, who are urged on by Mephistopheles. The dancers vanish, and in the final moments, the cavalier wakes up from his dream.[2] The changes and magical appearances are startling and instantaneous.[3]