This Edison Manufacturing Company documentary short captures a typical street scene in early 20th century New York City, focusing on the crowded sidewalks where Jewish and Italian push-cart vendors conduct their business. The film documents the constant tension between these immigrant peddlers and city authorities, as police officers regularly patrol to clear the vendors who obstruct pedestrian traffic. When a policeman appears, the vendors react with visible panic, hastily pushing their heavily laden carts of fruits and vegetables away to avoid arrest. The camera captures their anxious expressions and the precarious balancing act of their wares as they navigate around street obstructions, creating a vivid portrait of the daily struggles faced by immigrant street merchants in urban America at the turn of the century.
Filmed on location in New York City's Lower East Side, this film represents one of the earliest examples of street documentary or 'actuality' filmmaking. The Edison Company frequently produced such short documentaries showcasing everyday urban life, often focusing on immigrant communities and their economic activities. The film was shot using a portable camera, which was still relatively innovative for the time, allowing filmmakers to capture authentic street scenes rather than staged studio productions.
The year 1903 marked a period of massive immigration to the United States, with New York City serving as the primary entry point for millions of European immigrants. The Lower East Side, where this film was likely shot, had become one of the world's most densely populated neighborhoods, with newly arrived Jewish and Italian immigrants establishing street vending as a primary economic activity. This era saw growing tensions between immigrant communities and city authorities over urban space usage, sanitation, and commerce. The film captures the reality of Progressive Era reforms, when cities began implementing stricter regulations on street vending and public order. 1903 was also a pivotal year in cinema history, with the Edison Company still dominating American film production and the medium transitioning from novelty to storytelling and documentary forms.
Move On represents an invaluable historical document of immigrant life in urban America at the turn of the 20th century, preserving visual evidence of economic activities and social dynamics rarely recorded in other media. The film exemplifies early cinema's role as a window into contemporary life, capturing authentic moments that would otherwise be lost to history. It provides insight into the daily struggles of immigrant entrepreneurs and their relationship with authority figures, themes that remain relevant in discussions of urban immigration and regulation. As an early example of documentary filmmaking, it helped establish the medium's potential for social observation and commentary. The film also serves as a precursor to later documentary traditions focusing on marginalized communities and their economic struggles.
The filming of 'Move On' required the Edison camera crew to navigate the chaotic streets of New York's immigrant neighborhoods during a period when filming equipment was bulky and conspicuous. The filmmakers likely had to position themselves discreetly to capture authentic reactions from both vendors and police. The presence of a camera would have been a novelty in 1903, potentially affecting the behavior of subjects, though the film appears to capture genuine moments of panic and urgency. The Edison Company employed a team of cameramen who specialized in these 'actuality' films, developing techniques for capturing spontaneous street scenes while maintaining visual quality. The production would have been challenging due to the unpredictable nature of street life, requiring the cameraman to anticipate moments of action and adjust quickly to changing conditions.
The cinematography in 'Move On' reflects the technical limitations and innovations of early 1900s filmmaking. Shot on 35mm film using Edison's equipment, the camera was likely hand-cranked and required careful positioning to capture the street action. The black and white imagery shows remarkable clarity for the period, with sufficient detail to discern facial expressions and the contents of the vendors' carts. The fixed camera position, typical of the era, creates an observational perspective that enhances the documentary feel. The lighting would have been entirely natural, relying on daylight to illuminate the street scene, which contributes to the authentic quality of the footage.
Move On demonstrates the portable camera technology that Edison Manufacturing Company had developed by 1903, allowing filmmakers to move beyond studio settings and capture authentic street scenes. The film showcases early documentary techniques for capturing spontaneous action and human emotion without staging. The ability to record clear images of moving subjects and facial expressions in an uncontrolled environment represented a significant technical achievement for the period. The film also exemplifies the efficient production methods Edison had developed for creating short actuality films quickly and economically.
The picture shows how the frightened peddlers hurry away when a bluecoat appears. Some of the carts are piled high with fruits of all kinds, and it is interesting and amusing to see the expressions of combined fear and anxiety on the faces of the men as they hurry away; the fear of being arrested if they stand, and of losing some of their wares if the carts strike an obstruction in the street. Very fine photographically.
Edison film company catalog description],
memorableScenes
The climactic moment when the police officer appears and the vendors scramble to move their carts, capturing genuine panic and urgency as fruits and vegetables threaten to spill from the hurriedly pushed carts while the vendors' faces show their fear of arrest and financial loss
preservationStatus
The film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection and has been digitized as part of their early motion picture archives. It remains accessible through various film archives and educational institutions that specialize in early cinema. The survival of this 1903 film is remarkable given the fragility of early film stock and the loss rate of films from this period.
whereToWatch
Library of Congress National Film Registry online collection,Early Cinema archives,Museum of Modern Art film collection,Academic film databases specializing in early cinema,Public domain film websites
Contemporary reception of 'Move On' was primarily through Edison's own marketing materials, which described it positively as 'very fine photographically' and noted the entertainment value in watching the vendors' expressions. The Edison catalog specifically highlighted the 'interesting and amusing' aspects of the scene, suggesting it was marketed as both documentary and entertainment. Modern film historians and archivists recognize the film as an important example of early American documentary cinema and a valuable historical document of immigrant life in New York City. Critics today appreciate its authentic depiction of urban street life and its role in the development of non-fiction filmmaking.
Early 1900s audiences would have viewed 'Move On' as both educational and entertaining, offering a glimpse into the bustling streets of New York City for those who had never visited. The film's brief runtime and clear visual narrative would have made it accessible to audiences of the period, who were still acclimating to cinema as a medium. The spectacle of panicked vendors and the novelty of seeing real street life on screen likely provided amusement and curiosity for viewers. Modern audiences viewing the film through archives and museums appreciate its historical value and the window it provides into immigrant experiences during the Progressive Era.