This film is part of Free
Aerial Submarine A Startling Forecast. Piracy in Sea and Air
Follow two kidnapped children on a surreal pirate adventure in this 'trick' sci-fi fantasy.
Overview
Aided by futuristic technology, piracy knows no bounds! A fiendish female pirate takes two kidnapped children on a joy-ride through sea and air with her nifty aerial submarine. W.R. Booth's painted backgrounds and Méliès-style camera tricks create a wonderfully surreal Jules Verne-like world where nothing is quite what you expect.
The film owes its painted backgrounds, underwater scenery and short animated sequence to Walter R. Booth, whose training as a magician visibly influenced his later work as a filmmaker. Booth devised many short 'trick' films with silent film pioneer R.W. Paul before joining Charles Urban's company Kineto Ltd in 1906.
Related
The Airship Destroyer The Airship Destroyer
Science Fiction 1909 10 mins Silent
England faces aerial invasion in this entertaining Edwardian science fiction fantasy.
Ever Been Had Ever Been Had
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1917 9 mins Silent
Blackly comic cartoon portrait of an apocalyptic England, destroyed 50 years after signing a premature peace in WWI.
Everything but Everything in Bri-nylon Everything but Everything in Bri-nylon
Industry sponsored film 1959 20 mins
50s fashion meets carpet kitsch in a futuristic fantasy of domestic bliss - courtesy of versatile, magical Bri-Nylon.
Fugitive Futurist Fugitive Futurist
Science Fiction 1924 12 mins
An on-the-run inventor claims to have invented a camera which looks into the future, showing a grim destiny for London landmarks like Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square.
High Treason (sound version) High Treason (sound version)
Science Fiction 1929 68 mins
Extravagantly-mounted futuristic sci-fi, now with added sound, although still with the world's two power blocs at loggerheads.
High Treason (silent version) High Treason (silent version)
Science Fiction 1929 75 mins Silent
A terrorist plot plays out on a backdrop of towering skyscrapers, bullet-railways and silver lamé in this vintage vision of London's future.
All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
Documentary 2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.