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Old Glory
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel / 945 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: (unknown)
The Vitagraph Company of America production; distributed by The Vitagraph Company of America. / Released 2 July 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 2 July 1910, page ?] Benjamin Franklin is seen in deep study trying to evolve a suitable design for the banner, when he dreams he sees Freedom pluck the stars and stripes from the skies and lay them at his feet. With this inspiration he gives the design to Betsy Ross, who makes the flag and presents it to George Washington and his staff. It is accepted and adopted as the standard of the struggle for American independence. Again we see “Old Glory” floating triumphantly after the surrender of Cornwallis to Washington at Yorktown, waving its graceful folds in acknowledgment of the greetings and cheers of the people. In the War of 1812, nothing could be more inspiring than the capture of the British frigate Macedonia by Commander Stephen Decatur. The scene presents a picture most realistic, the boom of the cannon, protruding bodies of the seamen from the port holes, and the lapping of the ship’s hull by the restless waves as Decatur and his men scale the sides of the vessel and take possession of the prize. The Mexican War brings the American flag prominently before us as the American army storms the heights of Chapultapec, hauls down the Mexican flag, and raises “Old Glory” above the conquered turrets of the stronghold of Santa Anna, who was President of Mexico. Upon the addition of each state to the union we see the stars twinkle in the new constellation of the flag. Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation strikes deep into the spirit of “Old Glory,” the emblem of Freedom. This is a marvelously realistic and impressive scene which presents the martyred President signing the Emancipation Proclamation surrounded by Secretary of State William S. Seward, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and all the members of the cabinet, with a vision of slavery, suggestive of the spirit of the motive which leads us up to the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, “The Union Forever,” and the reunion of the Blue and the Gray under the protecting folds of “Old Glory” and the brotherhood of man. Once more we are reminded of “Old Glory’s” progress and power at the storming of San Juan Hill, with Teddy Roosevelt in command, the surrender of the Spanish outpost, and the hoisting of the Grand Old Flag on the summit of the hill, a beacon of hope and cheer. At this point we are brought to the grand climax: the Star Spangled Banner waving in all his majesty and glory o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave, calling forth responsive thrills of inborn patriotism that can only find relief in an outburst of irresistible and uncontrollable applause.
Reviews: [The Motion Picture World, 16 July 1910, page ?] Here is a picture which will profoundly stir the patriotic impulses in every person’s breast. The conception of the design of the flag is ascribed to Benjamin Franklin, who in a dream sees Freedom pluck the stars from the skies and lay them at his feet. Like all other stories concerning the origin of the flag, this one may be doubted. They even question that Betsy Ross made the first one, or that she ever lived in the little house on Arch Street. But it is a pretty fancy, and surely no one is harmed by believing it. Scenes from the various wars, typical of what they stood for, are selected, each one representing the triumph of the flag, until finally, amid a burst of applause, it is seen waving over the land of freedom, the only flag on earth that was never trailed in the dust or hauled down in the ignominy of defeat.
Survival status: Print exists in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) - Betsy Ross - George Washington
Listing updated: 7 August 2023.
References: Pitts-Hollywood p. 4 : Website-AFI; Website-NFPF.
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