The Musketeers of Pig Alley
| The Musketeers of Pig Alley | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | D. W. Griffith Anita Loos |
| Starring | Elmer Booth Lillian Gish Clara T. Bracy Walter Miller |
| Music by | Robert Israel |
| Distributed by | General Film Company |
| Release date(s) | October 31, 1912 November 5, 1915 (US release) |
| Running time | 17 minutes (16 frames per second) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
The Musketeers of Pig Alley is a 1912 American short drama film credited as the first gangster film in history. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinematography. [1]
The film was released on October 31, 1912 and re-released on November 5, 1915 in the United States. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey when many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century.[2][3][4] Location shots in New York City reportedly used actual street gang members as extras during the film.
It was also shown in Leeds Film Festival in November 2008, as part of Back to the Electric Palace, with live music by Gabriel Prokofiev, performed in partnership with Opera North.
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[edit] Plot
The film is about a poor married couple living in New York City. The husband works as a musician and must travel often for work. When returning, his wallet is taken by a gangster. His wife goes to a ball where a man tries to drug her, but his attempt is stopped by the same man who robbed the husband. The two criminals become rivals, and a shootout ensues. The husband gets caught in the shootout and recognizes one of the men as the gangster who took his money. The husband sneaks his wallet back and the gangster goes to safety in the couple's apartment. Policemen track the gangster down but the wife gives him a false alibi.
[edit] Cast
- Elmer Booth - Snapper Kid, Musketeers gang leader
- Lillian Gish - The Little Lady
- Clara T. Bracy - The Little Lady's Mother
- Walter Miller - The Musician
- Alfred Paget - Rival Gang Leader
- John T. Dillon - Policeman
- Madge Kirby - The Little Lady's Friend/In Alley
- Harry Carey - Snapper's Sidekick
- Robert Harron - Rival Gang Member/In Alley/At Gangster's Ball
- W. C. Robinson - Rival Gang Member (as Spike Robinson)
- Adolph Lestina - The Bartender/On Street
- Jack Pickford - Boy Gang Member/At Dance Ball
- Antonio Moreno - Young Man at Dance Ball who Leaves
unbilled
- Gertrude Bambrick - Woman at Dance
- Lionel Barrymore - The Musician's Friend
- Kid Broad -
[edit] Influence
The Musketeers of Pig Alley is probably the first ever film about organised crime.
[edit] See also
- Harry Carey filmography
- D. W. Griffith filmography
- Lillian Gish filmography
- Lionel Barrymore filmography
[edit] References
- ^ The Musketeers of Pig Alley at silentera.com
- ^ Kozarski, Ricchard (2004), Fort Lee: The Film Town, Rome, Italy: John Libbey Publishing -CIC srl, ISBN 0-86196-653-8, http://books.google.nl/books?id=5w0r8YKan04C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee:+the+film+town+Door+Richard+Koszarski#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ "Studios and Films". Fort Lee Film Commmission. http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ Fort Lee Film Commission (2006), Fort Lee Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0-7385-4501-5, http://books.google.com/books?id=ViR3b72xkK0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee+Birthplace+of+the+Motion+Picture+Industry#v=onepage&q&f=false
[edit] External links
- The Musketeers of Pig Alley at the Internet Movie Database
- The Musketeers of Pig Alley available for free download at Archive.org
