''Drama in the Air'', also known as ''Tragedy in Mid-Air'' is a 1904 French silent

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Gaston Velle Gaston Velle (1868–1953) was a French silent film director and pioneer of special effects, who was prominent in early French and Italian cinema during the first two decades of the 20th century. Like his father, the Hungarian entertainer Joseph ...

and distributed in France by

Pathé Frères Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipme ...

. The original French title is ''Un drame dans les airs''. It is loosely based on the novel '' A Drama in the Air'' by Jules Verne.Review and link to watch the film:

Plot

A gas balloon with two passengers lifts up in front of a large crowd of people. A close-up of the balloon's basket shows the aeronauts saluting and observing through a telescope the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, some boats and a rocky shore. Suddenly a storm breaks out, a flash of lightning sets fire to the balloon which falls into the sea. The passengers clinging to the basket are rescued by a man in a rowing boat.

Distribution

''Un drame dans les airs'' was distributed by Pathé Frères in 1904 in France, Italy and, under the title ''Drama in the Air'' in the United States, where it was also distributed by the

Kleine Optical Company George Kleine (1864June 8, 1931) was an American film producer and cinema pioneer. Biography Klein's father, Charles, was a New York optician who sold optical devices and stereopticons. Klein joined the family firm, moving to Chicago in 1893 ...

, the

Edison Manufacturing Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

, and the Lubin Manufacturing Company. The film was also distributed in the United Kingdom under the title ''Tragedy in Mid-Air''.

Analysis

The programme for the Première of the film in

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

on 27 August 1904 indicated as follows the titles of the 8 scenes: 1. Ballasting the Balloon. 2. The Departure. 3. In the air. 4. What is seen from the basket. 5. Terrible storm. 6. Lightning ignites the gas in the balloon. 7. Terrible fall of the aeronauts on the open sea. 8. The rescue.Quoted by Suzan Dalton in ''The Pathé Cinematograph Co. Ltd. London:'', Pathé, 1905., p 017 Scenes 1 and 2 were shot on location and showed the real preparation and flight of a gas balloon. Scenes 3 and 4 alternated a studio shot of the balloon's basket in front of a painted backdrop figuring clouds with two men onboard looking through a telescope, and point of view iris shots showing what the aeronauts were watching: a panning shot of a city seen from a high point, a shot taken from a boat showing other boats on the sea and a shot of a rocky shore. Scene 5 consist of a studio shot of a balloon model in front of a panning background of clouds with added effects figuring rain and lightning. From 1:52, when the lightning hits the balloon, the film is hand coloured with the

Pathécolor Pathécolor, later renamed Pathéchrome, was an early mechanical stencil-based film tinting process for movies developed by Segundo de Chomón for Pathé in the early 20th century. Among the last feature films to use this process were the British ...

stencil process to show the balloon catching fire and exploding before falling. Scenes 6 and 7 consist of one shot filmed on location on a body of water and tinted blue.

References

External links

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drame dans les airs (1904) Drama in the Air''
a
A Cinema History

''Un drame dans les airs – Gaston Velle – 1904''
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913163024/http://filmographie.fondation-jeromeseydoux-pathe.com/5381-un-drame-dans-les-airs , date=2019-09-13 a
Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé
(in French) 1904 films French silent short films French black-and-white films 1904 short films Films set on balloons Films based on works by Jules Verne Films directed by Gaston Velle