When the Earth Trembled
"A Thrilling Romance of the Great San Francisco Disaster"
Plot
The story follows Paul Girard Jr., the son of a wealthy businessman, who falls in love with Dora Sims, the daughter of his father's business rival. Despite his father's fierce opposition and subsequent disinheritance, Paul Jr. marries Dora and starts a new life, but their happiness is threatened by a series of misfortunes including a shipwreck that leaves Paul stranded on a remote island and presumed dead. Years later, Dora and her two children are living in San Francisco when the catastrophic 1906 earthquake strikes, leveling the city and killing her father. In the aftermath of the disaster, a destitute Dora is forced to find work, eventually becoming a nanny for her own children after they are taken in by the now-remorseful Paul Sr., who does not recognize her. The family is finally reunited when Paul Jr. is rescued from the island and returns home to find his wife and children in his father's care, leading to a dramatic emotional reconciliation.
About the Production
The film was the Lubin Manufacturing Company's first 'mega-production,' expanding from their usual one or two reels to a substantial three-reel format. Director Barry O'Neil oversaw the construction of massive breakaway sets designed by over thirty carpenters; these sets took five weeks to build but were destroyed in just two minutes of filming to simulate the earthquake. The production also made innovative use of genuine newsreel footage captured by Lubin cameraman Jack Frawley immediately following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, blending fiction with historical reality.
Historical Background
Released seven years after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the film tapped into a collective national memory of the disaster. In 1913, the film industry was transitioning from short 'one-reelers' to longer feature-length narratives, and 'When the Earth Trembled' was part of this evolution toward 'spectacle' cinema. It was produced during the height of the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) era, a time when Siegmund Lubin was one of the most powerful moguls in the industry before the rise of the Hollywood studio system.
Why This Film Matters
The film is a landmark in the disaster genre, establishing tropes that would be used for decades, such as the 'family separated by catastrophe' and the use of real historical events as a backdrop for melodrama. Its 2015 restoration by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival highlighted its importance as a visual record of how early 20th-century audiences processed the trauma of the 1906 quake. It also serves as a testament to the international nature of early film distribution, as it only survived through prints preserved in European archives.
Making Of
The making of 'When the Earth Trembled' was a massive undertaking for the Philadelphia-based Lubin Studio. Director Barry O'Neil insisted on high production values, employing a large crew to build elaborate interior sets that could collapse on cue. The 'breakaway' technology was primitive but effective, using hidden wires and pre-cut supports to ensure the safety of the actors while maximizing visual impact. Despite these precautions, the set was genuinely dangerous; the incident where Ethel Clayton was hit by a chandelier was a real accident that stayed in the final cut. The film's integration of 1906 actuality footage required careful editing to match the lighting and tone of the newly filmed dramatic scenes, a technique that was quite advanced for its time.
Visual Style
The film utilizes a standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio and was originally released with color tinting to enhance the mood (e.g., blue for night/shipwreck, red/amber for the fire). The cinematography is notable for its 'actuality' style during the disaster scenes, contrasting with the more static, stage-like compositions of the domestic drama scenes. The use of multiple camera angles during the collapse of the sets was an early attempt at creating a sense of immersive chaos.
Innovations
Pioneered the use of large-scale breakaway sets for disaster sequences.,One of the earliest successful integrations of documentary 'actuality' footage into a fictional narrative.,Early use of multi-reel storytelling (3 reels) to sustain a complex, multi-year plot arc.,Sophisticated use of color tinting to denote different locations and emotional states.
Music
As a silent film, there was no original recorded soundtrack. During its 1913 run, it would have been accompanied by live piano or organ music. For the 2015 restoration, a new score was performed and recorded by renowned silent film accompanists Stephen Horne and Frank Bockius.
Famous Quotes
Intertitle: 'The city that was... and the strength of a love that endured.'
Memorable Scenes
- The Earthquake Sequence: A five-minute tour-de-force where the Sims' home literally falls apart around the actors, featuring falling chimneys, collapsing walls, and the famous chandelier accident.
- The Shipwreck: Paul Jr. struggling against the waves after his ship is destroyed, a scene that transitions the film from urban drama to an island survival story.
- The Unmasking: The emotional climax where Paul Sr. realizes the nanny he hired is actually his daughter-in-law, leading to his ultimate redemption.
Did You Know?
- The film is widely considered the first fiction film to depict the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
- Lead actress Ethel Clayton was actually struck in the face by a falling chandelier during the earthquake sequence but continued her performance until she moved out of the camera's range.
- The film was thought to be lost for decades until a restoration was possible in 2015 using prints found in the Netherlands, the UK, and the US.
- It was released under the alternative title 'The Strength of Love' in some markets.
- The production utilized 'Exclusive Service' distribution, a short-lived model for multi-reel films that actually hindered its initial US success.
- A vault fire at Lubin in 1914 destroyed the original negatives, making the surviving international prints the only record of the film.
- The film features a 'Samoan Colony' subplot, reflecting the era's interest in exotic Pacific locations.
- The earthquake sequence was so realistic for 1913 that it was used as a benchmark for special effects in early cinema.
What Critics Said
At the time of its release, the film was praised for its 'magnificent' and 'thrilling' special effects, particularly the earthquake sequence. The Moving Picture World noted its popularity in England and its status as a 'mega-production.' Modern critics and historians view it as a sophisticated example of early narrative construction, noting that while the plot is melodramatic, the technical execution of the disaster scenes remains impressive even by modern standards.
What Audiences Thought
The film was a significant hit with audiences, particularly in Europe and the United Kingdom, where it enjoyed a longer theatrical life than in the United States. Viewers were reportedly captivated by the realism of the earthquake, which many still remembered vividly. The emotional core of the story—a mother's struggle to protect her children—resonated deeply with contemporary audiences who favored high-stakes family dramas.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (Historical Event)
- Victorian stage melodramas
- Lubin's own newsreel footage from 1906
This Film Influenced
- San Francisco (1936)
- Old San Francisco (1927)
- The Deluge (1933)
You Might Also Like
Film Restoration
The film was long considered lost but was restored in 2015 by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and EYE Film Institute Netherlands. The restoration utilized a tinted nitrate print from the Netherlands, a B&W negative from the British Film Institute, and additional elements from MoMA.