Battle in the Clouds synopsis
Battle in the Clouds, made in 1909, was the first of 3 aerial warfare films made by Walter Booth. The film is still in existence and was available at one time from the now-defunct Grapevine Video. Alternately titled as both "The Airship Destroyer" and "The Aerial Torpedo", it is considered to be by many the first "serious" science fiction film. Up until that point genre films were pretty much parodies of crazy inventors or trick films with an s.f. element. I'd say this quaint little short film is required viewing for anyone wanting to understand the early history of science fiction movies.
The following synopsis is taken from the Moving Picture World magazine. -
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BATLLE IN THE CLOUDS. - Section 1. - preparation. The Aero camp -Loading supplies - Start of the airships - The inventor of the airship destroyer - His love story - The parting - The alarm - The aero fleet in full flight - The aerial torpedo and its inventor.
Section 2. Attack. In the clouds - Dropping like shells from the firing deck of an airship - the chase - High angle firing from a gun on an armored motor car - Total destruction of the car - Railway wrecked by the aerial fleet - Shelling the signal box - The heroic operator meets death at this post - The fight in the air - Airship versus aeroplane - Wreck of the aeroplane - The burning of a town by the aerial fleet - Thrilling rescue of his sweetheart by the inventor.
Section 3. Defense. The inventor with the assistance of his sweetheart sends his airship destroyer on its mission of vengeance. The torpedo, steered through the air by wireless telegraphy - One flash and the airship is doomed - It falls, a mass of scorching fire, into the waters of a lake.
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Although this synopsis is taken from a movie trade journal, I can't help but think that its origin is with the studio itself. The subsequent Booth films (called The Aerial Submarine and The Aerial Anarchists) have catalog summaries very similar to this format.
written: 3/21/2004
