Film, Video San Francisco disaster

About this Item

Title
San Francisco disaster
Summary
This film shows the partial burning of a small-scale model of downtown San Francisco in an early attempt at simulating the 1906 disaster. The model is seen in aerial view from above the South-of-Market district, looking northwest toward Market Street and the downtown area. Russian Hill (left) and Telegraph Hill (right) are shown in a painted background. The Call Building at 3rd and Market streets is modelled at left center, and the Ferry Building (Market and East streets) is shown at right. Market Street and downtown have been greatly shortened between the two enlarged model building. It is likely that the producers of the film wanted their audiences to think that they were viewing actual footage of the fire, and the film was probably promoted as such. In reality, the location of the initial fires was more widely scattered than is shown, with many more blazes beginning out of view, at left, and a few more north of the Ferry Building. And while the principal fires did coalesce and spread from the area shown burning, the flames never reached the spectacular proportions shown in the simulation. Note the heavy puffs of smoke wafted in from the left, both to give the impression of a rapidly spreading conflagration and to put out the flames for the final "smoking ruins" view. In fact, every part of the city shown (except a few small pockets) burned over a three day period. No doubt today's special effects wizards could produce a far more convincing simulation of the disaster.
Contributor Names
Bitzer, G. W., 1872-1944, camera.
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
Created / Published
United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906.
Subject Headings
-  San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906
-  Fires--California--San Francisco
-  San Francisco (Calif.)--History
Genre
Trick--Short
Notes
-  H77924 U.S. Copyright Office
-  Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 19May1906; H77924.
-  Duration: 2:42 at 15 fps.
-  Camera, G.W. Bitzer.
-  Photographed: May 5, 1906. Location: Studio, New York City.
-  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
-  Received: 5/19/1906; paper pos; copyright deposit Paper Print Collection.
Medium
1 roll (312 ft) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. paper pos.
Call Number/Physical Location
LC 2177 (paper pos)
Repository
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu
Digital Id
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/lcmp003.m3b01123
Library of Congress Control Number
00694432
Online Format
image
video
Description
This film shows the partial burning of a small-scale model of downtown San Francisco in an early attempt at simulating the 1906 disaster. The model is seen in aerial view from above the South-of-Market district, looking northwest toward Market Street and the downtown area. Russian Hill (left) and Telegraph Hill (right) are shown in a painted background. The Call Building at 3rd and Market streets is modelled at left center, and the Ferry Building (Market and East streets) is shown at right. Market Street and downtown have been greatly shortened between the two enlarged model building. It is likely that the producers of the film wanted their audiences to think that they were viewing actual footage of the fire, and the film was probably promoted as such. In reality, the location of the initial fires was more widely scattered than is shown, with many more blazes beginning out of view, at left, and a few more north of the Ferry Building. And while the principal fires did coalesce and spread from the area shown burning, the flames never reached the spectacular proportions shown in the simulation. Note the heavy puffs of smoke wafted in from the left, both to give the impression of a rapidly spreading conflagration and to put out the flames for the final "smoking ruins" view. In fact, every part of the city shown (except a few small pockets) burned over a three day period. No doubt today's special effects wizards could produce a far more convincing simulation of the disaster.
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/00694432
Additional Metadata Formats
MARCXML Record
MODS Record
Dublin Core Record

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Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00694432/. (Accessed January 20, 2018.)

APA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., American Mutoscope And Biograph Company & Paper Print Collection. (1906) San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00694432/.

MLA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/item/00694432/>.