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Attack on Port Arthur
(1904) United States of America
B&W : 100 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: (unknown)
The Selig Polyscope Company production; distributed by The Selig Polyscope Company. / © 12 March 1904 by The Selig Polyscope Company [H43183]. Released March 1904. / [?] 35mm spherical format? / A separate film from [Attack on Port Arthur] (1904).
Drama: Actuality.
Synopsis: [From Selig promotional materials] We are the first in the field with a wonderfully accurate and realistic series showing the highly exciting conflicts between the Russians and Japanese. These films will be the most wonderful money earners of the century. The people of America are greatly excited over the doings of the little brown fellow and the big giant with whiskers. The battles are just far enough away to make business good in this country without causing the awful hardships of war. No war series offers the highly picturesque coloring and exciting action. Both sides are fierce and desperate fighters and the background of strange huts and villages is entrancing in the extreme. It is a series of motion war pictures that will live for years after peace follows death and carnage, and the accuracy and thrilling features can not be questioned. We are admirably situated for getting out the successive films of this series with the utmost promptness. With several correspondents in the field, arrangements for the reception of first copies of foreign made films, night-and-day arrangements here for getting out the positives, nobody can compete with us. Besides, we have on our staff a former naval expert who is thoroughly familiar with all the locations in the far East that will come under the focus of public vision during the war. His assistance and advice will be invaluable to assist in establishing the accuracy of details in our reproductions of the most thrilling and yet-to-be famous films. No series of war films has ever drawn the money that our new reproductions of the Japan-Russian struggles will. Not satisfied with their success of the day before, the Japanese returned the following day to Port Arthur, and the greatest and fiercest battle of the present war was fought. / The action was commenced by the big guns of the land battery. The Japanese war ships steamed slowly past in line of battle, each vessel beginning to fire when opposite the Russian ships. The action then became general. There was no maneuvering, simply heavy, fast firing. The shells fell thick and fast. The people of the city fled to the hills. The streets were entirely deserted. During the action a number of Russian warships were destroyed. The Casualties on the Russian side were great. This picture shows the arrival of the Japanese fleet off Port Arthur. As they approached, the land Batteries on both sides opened a fierce fire on the fleet, while the warships poured out of the harbor, the Russians were firing with great rapidity and some accuracy, and supported by the guns of the forts gave promise of getting in some deadly work. The entire Russian fleet was pouring shell after shell into the Japanese fleet. The Japanese undaunted by the fierce fire of the Russians fought as they never fought before. Gun crews stripped to the waist shoved shells into the breeches of their guns till they glowed with heat. Fiercer and fiercer grows the battle until the Russians can no longer stand the fire from the Brownies and they try to get away but are blown up or beached to keep from sinking. This we consider a masterpiece, and a film without a peer.
Survival status: Print exists in the Library of Congress film archive (paper print collection) [35mm paper positive].
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Special effects: Miniatures - War: Russo-Japanese War
Listing updated: 1 September 2009.
References: Niver-Early p. 17 : Website-AFI.
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