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I have a memory of reading about how Franz Ferdinand's assassination in 1914 was captured on film and watching it, but for the life of me I cannot find this and am beginning to think I fabricated it.

You can find video of the archduke's arrival on that day:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/ferdinand.htm

And video of the funeral procession shortly after:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/ferdinandfuneral.htm

And you can find photographs of moments before the assassination:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Postcard_for_the_assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_in_Sarajevo.jpg

And photographs moments after:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Gavrilo_Princip_captured_in_Sarajevo_1914.jpg/1024px-Gavrilo_Princip_captured_in_Sarajevo_1914.jpg

But I swear in the last year or two I read an article that discussed and contained a short video that captured the actual moment... but I can't find it! It's driving me crazy.

This other question regarding the earliest assassination isn't strong evidence but leads me to think at least I'm not the only person that thinks this: What was the first assassination/murder recorded on film?

Can anyone point me in the right direction here and help me find either the video or a reference to it?

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  • 1
    I really wanted those points and spent an hour scanning the net. The thing is, most famous assassination videos are very easy to find (as in 5 seconds on youtube). If it was indeed caught on tape I would expect to find it in under an hour. Is it not possible you saw a reconstruction?
    – Juicy
    Aug 31, 2014 at 3:38
  • It might be possible I saw a reconstruction. My memory of the video was black and white, without sound, like the video of his arrival that I already linked to. I saw a couple reconstructions in my searches but they were all seemed more obviously modern. In my memory I found it via something like kottke.org or cracked.com, of all things. I also remember the article or person linking to the thing commenting on how the other people in the video seemed surprisingly unfazed. I'm starting to lean towards misremembering this, but it's a weirdly specific misremembering. Sep 1, 2014 at 0:55

2 Answers 2

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According to the historian Jerry Kuehl, in his YouTube video on the subject, the event was neither filmed, nor photographed. The event that would have been filmed (the parade where the grenade was lobbed) didn't kill the Archduke. Only in the back alleys of Sarajevo did Gavrilo Princip seize the opportunity to kill the Archduke who was driving by in his car.

There is an excellent and related video from the YouTube channel called delve about the happenstance nature of the assassination. So it seems unlikely that anyone got it on tape, but if you find something relevant in your research, be sure to share it!

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Your question is an interesting one and although I can't provide a definitive answer I would speculate that yes, such film at least did exist even if it does not exist today. I would further speculate that such film as you search for does exist today, but where it is, and why, in this the 100th anniversary of the WW1, it can't be found I cannot say. Add to the links that you provide in your question the following ' Clip 3 of 9

Rights Managed

Ref: RTV310714108 1578 Duration: 00:00:12

Clip 3 of 9 (Copyright: FILE REUTERS (NO RESALE))

SARAJEVO, KINGDOM OF SERBIA (FILE - JUNE 28, 1914) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF HEIR TO THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND AND HIS WIFE SOPHIE, DUCHESS OF HOHENBURG, LEAVING CITY HALL FOLLOWING WELCOMING RECEPTION STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND'S CAR DRIVING ALONG RIVER EMBANKMENT '

and

' Clip 4 of 9

Add To Clipbin
Download Preview
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READY TO BUY

Ref: RTV310714108 1879 Duration: 00:00:31

Clip 4 of 9 (Copyright: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL))

VARIOUS AFTERMATH OF ASSASSINATION OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND GRAPHIC AND WESTERN FRONT (FILE - 1914) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TROOPS MARCHING OVER MAP OF EUROPE WESTERN EUROPE (FILE - 1914) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TROOPS MARCHING '

The link to the film archive is http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/2014/07/31/RTV310714108/?s=archduke%20ferdinand

it does seem reasonable to infer that such a film is to be found somewhere.

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  • Oh, and by offering this as an answer rather than a comment, I don't expect it to qualify for the bounty, rather I simply wanted to help you in your search. Good luck with it.
    – user995689
    Aug 31, 2014 at 12:16
  • getting closer but still not quite there life.time.com/history/…
    – user995689
    Aug 31, 2014 at 16:56
  • Appreciate the help. It seems not outside the realm of possibility that film of the event could exist. At this moment I'm leaning towards my memory being incorrect but will leave this open a while longer and hope to be proven wrong. Sep 1, 2014 at 1:02
  • huntleyarchives.com/… try this link, as it says in the synopsis 'stills of the assassination of archduke Ferdinand. I think the idea that the assassination was filmed is pretty irresistible, especially as the stills seem to be taken from a film, though why no extant footage remains is a mystery.
    – user995689
    Sep 2, 2014 at 16:09

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