''The Pioneers'' is an American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

and one of the earliest

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, having been released by the

American Mutoscope and Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition ...

in October 1903. It incorporates part of the footage from ''

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

'', another Western short also released by Biograph in October 1903. Both films were shot on location in the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

of New York.

Plot

A little girl is captured by a band of Indians and her settler parents killed. Some trappers come upon the bodies and set out in pursuit. They track down and kill all the Indians and free the girl.

References

External links

* *
The Pioneers
at silentera.com, with a detailed synopsis from "Biograph promotional materials" {{DEFAULTSORT:Pioneers (1903 film) 1903 films 1903 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films American silent short films Biograph Company films Films shot in New York (state) Films directed by Wallace McCutcheon Sr. Silent American Western (genre) films 1900s American films