Many of you who have read another of my reviews for Edison's film shorts (most of them filmed when old Tom was virtually the only game in town, as far as movies were concerned, and when he harbored a dream to monopolize American entertainment to the same or a greater extent than he did evening lighting in the U.S.) may be convinced that T.E. was the devil incarnate, or something close to it. While it is true his short ELECTROCUTING AN ELEPHANT of 1903 is no doubt the low point in the history of American entertainment (eclipsing HOWARD THE DUCK and the O.J. Simpson murders), I for one will not go out on a limb to blame him for EVERY dark day in U.S. or Manhattan history, such as the Lincoln assassination, 9-11, or the burning of this riding academy. After all, I was not there personally during the filming of any of the six events mentioned above. The film evidence here (perhaps the earliest movie I've seen which drags on for more than three minutes) suggests that another firebug besides Edison's henchmen instigated this Durland incident, as every fire-fighting scene included here seems to be from the SECOND or THIRD day of the fire, after the building complex already has been reduced largely to mere heaps of smoldering bricks.
Review of Burning of Durland's Riding Academy
