The scene is iconic in silent movies: a villain ties the heroine to rail tracks so an oncoming train can run over her. The first film to use the Victorian stage nail biter sequence was Keystone Studio's June 1913 "Barney Oldfield's Race For Life." The Keystone Cops try to save the woman, but not with the expected results.
There's a raging debate how often such a scene appeared in movies. Some say the track suspense sequence was a common occurrence, showing up in a number of silent films--many of them which are lost today. Others say it was rare, that the "woman-tied-to-tracks" thriller was hardly used at all.
The idea of such a dastardly act emerged from Victorian, late 1800's stage dramas, especially traveling troupe acts which used simple sound and light effects offstage to heighten the tension of a train approaching. Back then, however, it was usually the male hero of the play who was tied to the rails while the heroine would arrive breathlessly just in time to save the day.
One common comedic act that appears to be a first in ""Barney Oldfield's Race For Life" is the jealous villain, played by Keystone's Ford Sterling, dropping a huge object, this time a big hammer, accidentally on his foot, eliciting a howling scene of pain. Sterling was one of Keystone's "Big 4" comedians, which included Charlie Chaplin. When Chaplin was signed to Keystone by the end of 1913, he was asked to act just like Sterling, which irked the young stage comedian. They did both appeared together in two films in 1914. Sterling's movie career stretched throughout the talkies until 1936. He was an expert photographer, with some of his work exhibited in Paris' Louvre Museum.
And Barry Oldfield was a celebrity himself. He was the speed king of the early 1900's, holding several race car records, including the first to drive over 60 mph on a circular race track.
There's a raging debate how often such a scene appeared in movies. Some say the track suspense sequence was a common occurrence, showing up in a number of silent films--many of them which are lost today. Others say it was rare, that the "woman-tied-to-tracks" thriller was hardly used at all.
The idea of such a dastardly act emerged from Victorian, late 1800's stage dramas, especially traveling troupe acts which used simple sound and light effects offstage to heighten the tension of a train approaching. Back then, however, it was usually the male hero of the play who was tied to the rails while the heroine would arrive breathlessly just in time to save the day.
One common comedic act that appears to be a first in ""Barney Oldfield's Race For Life" is the jealous villain, played by Keystone's Ford Sterling, dropping a huge object, this time a big hammer, accidentally on his foot, eliciting a howling scene of pain. Sterling was one of Keystone's "Big 4" comedians, which included Charlie Chaplin. When Chaplin was signed to Keystone by the end of 1913, he was asked to act just like Sterling, which irked the young stage comedian. They did both appeared together in two films in 1914. Sterling's movie career stretched throughout the talkies until 1936. He was an expert photographer, with some of his work exhibited in Paris' Louvre Museum.
And Barry Oldfield was a celebrity himself. He was the speed king of the early 1900's, holding several race car records, including the first to drive over 60 mph on a circular race track.