"A Trip Down Market Street" is an eleven-minute short film shot from a cable car as it journeys down Market Street, San Francisco. Shot days before the great earthquake of 1906, the film consists of a simple POV shot taken from the car as it journeys in a straight line, slowly prowling a city that bustles with activity.
The street itself is expansive, packed with pedestrians, a few old fashioned automobiles, trucks, horses and buggies. With no apparent traffic lights, lane demarcations or highway codes, and with everyone dodging and weaving their way through the commotion, it's amazing that no accidents occur.
Needless to say, watching the film today is like hopping into a time machine. The formal fashion, body language, architecture, hairstyles, beards, hats, clothes, storefronts and advertisements on display are all interesting. Eerily, the hundreds of men, women and children whom we observe with curiosity are themselves observing us with interest, for they have clearly never seen a movie camera before, which in their eyes must seem like an odd, alien thing.
As the film was shot just days before the great quake and fire of 1906, an incident which nearly destroyed San Francisco, the film has a somewhat sad, haunting quality. Or rather, we imbue the film with a sense of loss.
8/10 - Film archivists Rick Prelinger and David Kiehn are responsible for uncovering, investigating the origins of and restoring the film.
The street itself is expansive, packed with pedestrians, a few old fashioned automobiles, trucks, horses and buggies. With no apparent traffic lights, lane demarcations or highway codes, and with everyone dodging and weaving their way through the commotion, it's amazing that no accidents occur.
Needless to say, watching the film today is like hopping into a time machine. The formal fashion, body language, architecture, hairstyles, beards, hats, clothes, storefronts and advertisements on display are all interesting. Eerily, the hundreds of men, women and children whom we observe with curiosity are themselves observing us with interest, for they have clearly never seen a movie camera before, which in their eyes must seem like an odd, alien thing.
As the film was shot just days before the great quake and fire of 1906, an incident which nearly destroyed San Francisco, the film has a somewhat sad, haunting quality. Or rather, we imbue the film with a sense of loss.
8/10 - Film archivists Rick Prelinger and David Kiehn are responsible for uncovering, investigating the origins of and restoring the film.