It’s worth noting that quicksand as it was understood in 1908 is a little different to that understood by young John Mulaney in the much-memed comedy bit at the top of this darkticle. This is, as far as I am aware, the first quicksand fatality to be depicted on film, and one of the few to thoroughly document the experience in other media. He tears and tugs madly for liberty, but down, down, down he goes, until he is completely engulfed in the murky sand, and the last picture shows only a writhing, twitching hand protruding from the sand. The terrible truth that he is caught in a quicksand dawns upon him, and he struggles frantically, but it sucks him further down. He endeavors to find a path and wanders to the beach, where, as he walks, he suddenly finds himself sinking into the mire. The anxious man runs earnestly along, but being a stranger, soon loses his way. I have been unable to find a copy of the film or even still images from it, but here is a description of what Paul Capellani did on camera in genuine tidal quicksand in an era before the film industry figured out how to safely fake movie stunts, and then commemorated in plaster:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |