01-09-2024, 10:09 AM
The Johnstown Flood is a silent movie epic that the host on TCM who said it was the Star Wars of it's day because of all the great special effects. Okay. Maybe. I thought I would watch a few minutes but stayed for the whole thing. The film had moments good and bad as engineer Tom tries to warn the dam owner that if they don't release water from the dam it will collapse. The damn owner has a big lumber order to fulfill and he needs all that water to float his logs down the river. The only thing that could make the situation worse is if a big storm rolls through. While we wait for the storm, Tom dates and marries the dam owner's daughter owner. But he also flirts with a young girl who is a daughter of one of the lumbermen. It is quite the love triangle.
Finally, it rains. The dam collapses. There is this mixture of models and process shots that shows the destruction of the town. The most disturbing thing for me is that lumberman's daughter Anna races from the collapsing dam to warn the town and during the horseback ride into town the moviemakers do a horse fall where they trip the horse. This horse fall was really nasty and the horse rolled onto it's head. The horse did get up afterwards but I couldn't tell if the horses's leg was broken. I should also be concerned about the minstrel show in the middle but I was given a warning for that in the beginning.
This film was just finished being restored and this was the first showing on TCM.
No sword fights. Not Doom recommended.
Finally, it rains. The dam collapses. There is this mixture of models and process shots that shows the destruction of the town. The most disturbing thing for me is that lumberman's daughter Anna races from the collapsing dam to warn the town and during the horseback ride into town the moviemakers do a horse fall where they trip the horse. This horse fall was really nasty and the horse rolled onto it's head. The horse did get up afterwards but I couldn't tell if the horses's leg was broken. I should also be concerned about the minstrel show in the middle but I was given a warning for that in the beginning.
This film was just finished being restored and this was the first showing on TCM.
No sword fights. Not Doom recommended.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm