Subscribe today using voucher code SUMMER22 for an extended free trial

This film is part of Free

Aerial Submarine A Startling Forecast. Piracy in Sea and Air

Follow two kidnapped children on a surreal pirate adventure in this 'trick' sci-fi fantasy.

Science Fiction 1910 9 mins Silent

Overview

Aided by futuristic technology, piracy knows no bounds! A fiendish female pirate takes two kidnapped children on a joy-ride through sea and air with her nifty aerial submarine. W.R. Booth's painted backgrounds and Méliès-style camera tricks create a wonderfully surreal Jules Verne-like world where nothing is quite what you expect.

The film owes its painted backgrounds, underwater scenery and short animated sequence to Walter R. Booth, whose training as a magician visibly influenced his later work as a filmmaker. Booth devised many short 'trick' films with silent film pioneer R.W. Paul before joining Charles Urban's company Kineto Ltd in 1906.