what is lost media YOU dont want found
Feb 27, 2024 8:51:34 GMT
forlornjackalope and extremewreck2000 like this
Post by SpaceManiac888 on Feb 27, 2024 8:51:34 GMT
In terms of films, one that I am least inclined to see recovered is the 1914 silent western Across the Border. Now, this film is infamous for Grace McHugh and Owen Carter's fatal filming accident, which is bad enough. But then again, I've enjoyed films like The Crow, whose production infamously featured Brandon Lee's passing. However, when I was researching the film for the Wiki, a few factors surrounding its production and release really bothered me:
1: The fact director Otis B. Thayer had previously been involved in another similar incident. During filming for a 1911 work, four men ended up falling into the Arkansas River's Grape Creek and nearly drowned as a result. It proved one needed to enhance safety measures when filming on or near the Arkansas River. But Thayer clearly failed to heed this warning, otherwise, McHugh and Carter wouldn't have drowned. Without a doubt, Thayer was grossly negligent.
2: But it somehow gets worse! In another scene (I believe involving a chase sequence), a horse lost its balance and plunged off a cliff to its death. Another tragic accident which the Colorado Motion Picture Company campaigned to keep in the film. Somehow, because the horse's death was an accident instead of an intentional sacrifice, censors decided to let the scene be kept in the final version. I understand animal rights in America were considerably limited compared to today's standards, but how ghoulish must one be to keep a fatal accident like this, especially when another fatal accident had already occurred on set?! Boggles the mind!
3: And the coup de grâce? The Colorado Motion Picture Company, obviously very sympathetic to McHugh and Carter and their relatives, accelerated the film's release date and centred its marketing campaign on the tragedy during filming. Come and see the final work featuring McHugh, where she and a heroic cameraman drowned in horrendous circumstances! Often these promotions hardly acknowledged Carter's attempt to save the actress, if at all. It was one of the earliest attempts to capitalise on the buzz surrounding accidental deaths.
As some will note, the silent film era was infamous for its exploitation. Actors generally did their own stunts regardless of the dangers involved. Animals, especially exotic ones, were typically treated terribly and sometimes killed on camera for the thrill of it. If a filmmaker could capitalise on a shocking moment, they would do so without thinking of the ethical concerns involved. But out of all productions released from the late 1800s to the 1920s, Across the Border certainly ranks up as among the most shameless exploitive works of the period. Outrageous stuff indeed!
1: The fact director Otis B. Thayer had previously been involved in another similar incident. During filming for a 1911 work, four men ended up falling into the Arkansas River's Grape Creek and nearly drowned as a result. It proved one needed to enhance safety measures when filming on or near the Arkansas River. But Thayer clearly failed to heed this warning, otherwise, McHugh and Carter wouldn't have drowned. Without a doubt, Thayer was grossly negligent.
2: But it somehow gets worse! In another scene (I believe involving a chase sequence), a horse lost its balance and plunged off a cliff to its death. Another tragic accident which the Colorado Motion Picture Company campaigned to keep in the film. Somehow, because the horse's death was an accident instead of an intentional sacrifice, censors decided to let the scene be kept in the final version. I understand animal rights in America were considerably limited compared to today's standards, but how ghoulish must one be to keep a fatal accident like this, especially when another fatal accident had already occurred on set?! Boggles the mind!
3: And the coup de grâce? The Colorado Motion Picture Company, obviously very sympathetic to McHugh and Carter and their relatives, accelerated the film's release date and centred its marketing campaign on the tragedy during filming. Come and see the final work featuring McHugh, where she and a heroic cameraman drowned in horrendous circumstances! Often these promotions hardly acknowledged Carter's attempt to save the actress, if at all. It was one of the earliest attempts to capitalise on the buzz surrounding accidental deaths.
As some will note, the silent film era was infamous for its exploitation. Actors generally did their own stunts regardless of the dangers involved. Animals, especially exotic ones, were typically treated terribly and sometimes killed on camera for the thrill of it. If a filmmaker could capitalise on a shocking moment, they would do so without thinking of the ethical concerns involved. But out of all productions released from the late 1800s to the 1920s, Across the Border certainly ranks up as among the most shameless exploitive works of the period. Outrageous stuff indeed!
