Airplane Oddities
Airplane Oddities
(On preview cassette #98723.) This is an amazing compliation reel of man's early attempts to fly. Produced by Pathe News, the first half is devoted to man-powered efforts while the second is in honor of the motor. There are many bizarre designs, countless large flapping contraptions, mostly in either tight or wide LS. The following are just a few of the shots within... LS of a man with strange wings strapped to his back standing on a bridge; he leaps off and flies straight down, gracefully, to the water below. Tight LS of a rocket fueled plane spurting glycerin fire for a while before shooting off and crashing down almost immediately (the first attempt at rocket mail, according to the MS of a mailbag bearing that title; they show another attempt with equally humorous results). The first attempt at a rocket pack: MS of a man's backside onto which a rocket is strapped; gets ignited, then explodes. The second attempt works for a moment or two but the man loses his balance (he's wearing ice skates on a frozen pond), slips and falls on his arse. Many, many motorized planes of every size, shape and variation. Many, many disturbing wrecks though still humorous in a snuff film way (don't worry, no one seems to die in any of the wrecks). (On preview cassette #98723.)