| Kidnapping by Indians | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film screenshot | |
| Directed by | Mitchell and Kenyon |
| Produced by | Mitchell and Kenyon |
| Cinematography | James Kenyon |
Release date |
|
Running time | 1 minute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | Silent English intertitles |
Kidnapping by Indians is a 1899 BritishsilentshortWestern film, made by theMitchell and Kenyon film company,[1] shot inBlackburn, England.[2] It is believed to be the firstdramatic film in the Western genre,[3] pre-datingEdwin S. Porter'sThe Great Train Robbery by four years.[4]
According to Jamie Holman, a local researcher,James Kenyon of Mitchell & Kenyon met some Americans in Blackburn when he was a boy. This sparked his interest in the "Wild West" and ultimately led to the production of this film.[2] TheBritish Film Institute (BFI) questions the ethnicity of the costumes used[3] but Holman has maintained that they are authentic astomahawks, head-dress and other Western stereotypes are in evidence.[4] Holman says many cotton workers from Blackburn went to America after theAmerican Civil War and brought back stories of the wild frontier which whetted local interest. He says: "Mitchell and Kenyon would have been aware of the appetite for the Wild West at the time".[4] The film was shot in the countryside near Blackburn and used local actors.[4]
According to Bryony Dixon, a curator at the BFI,Kidnapping By Indians is a significant film in the Western genre. The storyline of a white girl being kidnapped by Indians is inThe Last of the Mohicans and many Wild West productions such asThe Searchers. Ms Dixon admits the film lacks some of the usual Western elements, but then again, so doesThe Great Train Robbery.[4]
The plot focuses on an attack by Native Americans on a camp where white people are staying. The attackers set fire to the camp and kidnap a young girl. Some cowboys arrive and a gunfight begins. The captured girl is rescued by the cowboys. The BFI suggests the film may be a scene from a larger stage production.[3]