The Persian Oil Industry #1 (Mute)(1925)
The Persian Oil Industry #1 (Mute)(1925)
Record options
- Release Date: 1st January 1925
- Asset ID: 800541
- Synopsis: 'The Story of a Great Enterprise' - This film depicts the changes wrought in the land of Cyrus the Great by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (BP)...' as quoted at the beginning of the film.
- Shotlist: 10:00:00 - Start 01:00 - MS of sheep, horses and farmers in hilly terrain 02:08 - MS of Persian tribesmen crossing the Karun river on rafts 04:30 - LS of hilly scenery and ruins and cu of people in market carrying a rug, pouring drinks, having meal in a tent, talking to Westerners and posing to the camera, weaving a carpet 07:00 - Pan of crowded market/bazaar, mainly children looking at camera, workers hammering pots, crowds, weighing produce, cooking kebabs, a man having a shave, washermen at work 10:05 - MS of Bakhtiari tribesman executing the stick dance 11:05 - Pan of ruins of the Mashjid-i-Sulaiman ancient temple of the fire worshippers 12:05 - MS of Mule caravans, CU of tribesman and mule 12:55 - Aerials of Mohammerah, showing Anglo Persian administrative buildings on the river banks with various ship/boats in view 14:00 - Aerials of date groves 14:45 - Shot of light aeroplane flying next to cameraman (great shot of 1920s plane) 15:20 - MS of the river-steamer Kalgar leaving Abadan refinery with supplies 16:50 - GVs of docks with cranes lifting pipes and more shots steamboats 18:08 - Pan of Tembi bridge with train and tram passing over 19:20 - Long pan of oil stores; warehouse, huge crane and pipes 20:13 - Various long shot pans of the town of Masjid-i-Sulaiman; mountainous views and built up area 22:30 - MS to LS of water pipeline serving town above, cart carrying pipes, view from cart (similar view to a rollercoaster, but slower!) 26:05 - LS pan of a truck driving around loading area, pipes being loaded and transported away, cu of trucks, people and mules, truck arriving at oil-well and pipes (casing) being unloaded 29:17 - Men digging and constructing a derrick, with cu of well head hitting the ground with various drilling gvs 37:45 - Gushing oil-well and more drilling gvs 39:00 - LS of derrick and man walikng past 40:25 - Cable car from top of derrick, shown in use incase of emergency 41:03 - Oil gauge registering pressure and man igniting gas in the desert starting off a large blaze, man turning wheel to adjust pressure on gauge 43:10 - Blacksmiths at work with a drill bit and cutting threads 46:00 - Persian children working in metal workshop 47:00 - Persian boys performing military drills in uniform 47:50 - Persian workers leaving work at lunchtime and LS of on-site buildings 49:10 - Long Pan of hospital, patients being taken from ambulance into entrance of hospital on stretcher, waiting patients and patients being attended to by doctors , operating ward, beds 52:00 - Exterior gvs of hospital and people outside, various ages of men in black costume posing for camera 53:40 - MS of Fire guards performing a drill and running to fire-engines and driving off from garage 54:40 - MS of Traffic guards being inspected at drill, and cu of a guard 55:35 - Pan of Geologists at work; drawing board and tables 56:10 - Exterior pan of bungalows used by staff 56:50 - A Christmas horse race with spectators and cu of a man getting on a horse, and horses trotting and more races 59:00 - Home-made boats at a regatta near Tembi bridge 11:00:15 - End A special short edition entitled In The Land of The Shah was taken from this film. According to a BP Memo dated 26.1.40, the original film consisted of six reels, taking 1.5 hours to show. This proved too long for general purposes and so a special 3 reel edition was prepared for showing to schools, technical societies etc. In 1926 it was decided to prepare a special one reel edition for showing in public cinemas, and, as the title 'The Persian Oil Industry' would at once have branded it as an advertising film this edition was called 'In The Land of the Shah'. Copies were sent to each of the BP's Branch Managers with a request to get it shown as much as possible. The results were very successful. It was shown in some hundreds of cinemas at the cost only of printing the copies. Later on when the demand for cinema showings died down, 9.5mm copies were circulated through the Pathescope Library.
- Production Company: None
- Licensing Restrictions: None
- Viewing Restrictions: Public
- Format: Other
- Alternative Language Notes: None