M. Otreps (lost footage of fatal filming accident; 1909)

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15th June 1909 issue of the Daily Mirror reporting on the incident.

Status: Lost

On 14th June 1909, professional acrobat M. Otreps jumped off a Bellevue pontoon into the River Seine as part of a French film production. During the stunt, Otreps suffered difficulties in the water and consequently drowned. A failure by observers to distinguish Otreps' legitimate cries for help from his acting caused the tragedy. It is known that the incident was fully captured on camera.

Background

M. Otreps was described as a "professional acrobat" by the 15th June 1909 issue of Le Figaro.[1] He was among several "mute characters" present for a drama production, part of which was recorded on a Bellevue pontoon on the morning of 14th June 1909.[2][3][1] The project was directed by stage manger Mr Wolff;[4][5][6][3] it had the actors performing scenes for a drama centred around violent taboos, including murder and suicide.[1] Reportedly, Otreps' scene involved his character committing suicide, which he carried out by jumping off the pontoon into the River Seine.[7]

As instructed, Otreps timed his jump just as the kinematograph commenced its recording.[3][2] The scene's planned conclusion would see Otreps' character succumb to the river's currents and drown.[8][1] Hence, when Otreps began to struggle and beg for assistance in the rapid currents, nobody from the film crew to cheering onlookers batted an eyelid. They had assumed Otreps was engaging in "clever acting" to make the recorded scene more "realistic".[9][7] Otreps eventually disappeared beneath the waters. Again, the film crew were unconcerned as Otreps was reportedly a competent swimmer.[1][8] They expected him to resurface outside of the camera's view.[1]

But as the minutes passed with no signs of Otreps having resurfaced, it became obvious that the acrobat's "simulated" drowning was in fact legitimate.[1][7][8] Reports suggested Otreps suffered cramps as he entered the river.[2][7] Ultimately, it took 30 minutes for his body to be recovered from the Seine.[4][5][6] Despite having captured a tragedy on camera, it was reported that the film company would still screen their production - including the death footage - to the public.[1][8] News of Otreps' passing was quickly reported by British publications like the Daily Mirror and Kinematograph Weekly.[3][2][7] Australian and American newspapers later covered the event too.[10][11]

Availability

Otreps' filmed drowning was documented in such newspapers as the 18th September 1909 issue of Hinckley Times, which listed early filmmaking accidents like Wilhelm Valdemar Zeitz's death.[7] It was also occasionally brought up by similar articles published in the 1910s,[12] though most did not mention Otreps by name.[13][14] But ultimately, the incident fell into complete obscurity. Considering the notability of available early death footage, including that of Franz Karl Reichelt and Emily Davison,[15] it is presumed the film containing Otreps' drowning is missing as it would have received extensive infamy. It is presumably among 90% of silent films produced before 1929 that no longer exist in any capacity.[16][17] No images of the incident are known to exist either.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 15th June 1909 issue of Le Figaro providing a comprehensive report on Otreps' death and that it was probably going to being publicly screened (article in French, found on RetroNews, p.g. 5). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 17th June 1909 issue of Kinematograph Weekly reporting on the incident and the theory that Otreps suffered from cramp while in the water (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 17). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 15th June 1909 issue of the Daily Mirror breaking the news of the incident in the United Kingdom (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 3). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 15th June 1909 issue of Journal des débats politiques et littéraires reporting on the drowning occurring during a Mr Wolff production and that Otreps' body was recovered after 30 minutes (article in French, found on RetroNews, p.g. 4). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 16th June 1909 issue of Le Progrès de la Somme briefly reporting on the drowning occurring during a Mr Wolff production (article in French, found on RetroNews, p.g. 5). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 16th June 1909 issue of La Lanterne briefly reporting on the incident (article in French, found on RetroNews, p.g. 3). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 18th September 1909 issue of Hinckley Times detailing early accidents in filming, including Otreps' drowning (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 6). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 26th June 1909 issue of Le Temps reporting on the incident and how it was planned to be a simulated suicide (article in French, found on Google Newspapers, p.g. 3). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  9. ↑ 16th June 1909 issue of Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail briefly reporting on the incident and how onlookers were fooled by Otreps' "clever acting" (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 2). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  10. ↑ 23rd October 1909 issue of The Express and Telegraph summarising the incident as part of its article on early film accidents (found on Trove, p.g. 4). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  11. ↑ 6th December 1909 issue of The Norwalk Hour summarising the incident as part of its article on early film accidents (found on Google Newspapers, p.g. 6). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  12. ↑ 28th January 1914 issue of Gloucestershire Echo listing early fatal filming accidents, including Otreps' (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 3). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  13. ↑ 16th November 1912 issue of Pearson's Weekly briefly mentioning the incident alongside Wilhelm Valdemar Zeitz's death (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 7). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  14. ↑ 25th October 1913 issue of Picturegoer summarising early filming incidents including Otreps' drowning (found on The British Newspaper Archive, p.g. 9). Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  15. ↑ Ben Beck's Website summarising early recorded death footage, including that of Franz Karl Reichelt and Emily Davison. Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  16. ↑ Film Foundation claiming that roughly 90% of pre-1929 films are forever lost. Retrieved 16th Oct '24
  17. ↑ Deutsche Kinemathek stating roughly 80-90% of silent films are permanently missing. Retrieved 16th Oct '24
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