April 27, 2016
Courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Association./for PhillyVoice
In this scene from the 1913 production of "When The Earth Trembled," actress Ethel Clayton was injured after the simulated earthquake.
The disaster movie genre, where volcanos, tidal waves, tornados, meteors and other dangers drive the plot while threatening the characters, can trace its origins back 100 years to Philadelphia and specifically Siegmund Lubin. The optician-turned-movie-mogul often incorporated disasters into his films shot at his Philly studios, featuring catastrophes like a train wreck or earthquake.
His disaster film "When the Earth Trembled," depicting the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, will be screened during the Betzwood Silent Film Festival at Montgomery County Community College. When Lubin was at his peak, his largest studio was located on land purchased from a brewer named John F. Betz -- which is where the studio name Betzwood hails.
One hundred years ago, with none of the special effects technology that films use today, the only way to fake a disaster was to actually create one. Sets would be constructed over the course of months, then destroyed within minutes once the cameras started to roll. Actors only had one take to get it right, and often were in real danger as ceilings collapsed around them, fires blazed and objects tumbled and shattered on top of them.
At the film screening, before the show, there will be an illustrated lecture explaining how the Lubin company filmed their hair-raising spectacles at their Philadelphia and Betzwood studios.
The program also includes two comedy shorts starring legendary silent comedian, Billie Reeves. All three films will be shown at their original projection speed and will be accompanied by live theater organ music.
Tickets are $15 per person.
