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With the Greeks in the Firing Line (1913)
One hundred years ago the Ottoman Empire was in decline. Bit by bit it had lost most of its European territory. By the end of the 19th century Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria had all gained their independence and wanted to expand their borders. This desire led to the Balkan War of 1912-13. During the Second Balkan War German filmmaker Robert Schwobthaler gained permission from King Constantine I of Greece to film the conflict. With the Greeks in the Firing Line (also known as With the Camera on the Firing Line) is the resulting film record; an early feature-length documentary showing what early 20th century warfare was like. Schwobthaler traveled up the Kresna Pass with the Greek Army during the summer of 1913 shooting images of troops being fed, treated for injuries, and burying their dead. Schwobthaler was also able to film the King and the Crown Prince Alexander of Greece, as well as Crown Prince Waldemar of Denmark who are shown visiting the front. The film ends with the Battle of Dchumaja (present day Blagoevgrad) and the celebration that followed.
The Moving Picture World said, “There is little of the romance and the glory which poets associate with war visible in these films which tell the truth so plainly and literally.”
Blaine Bartell
Express Films, Germany. Producer: Cherry Kearton. Photography: Robert Schwobthaler.
35mm, b/w, silent, 16 fps, approx. 80 min.
Preserved from a 35mm tinted nitrate print. Laboratory services by The Stanford Theatre Film Laboratory. Special thanks to Pacific Film Archives.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by Cliff Retallick.
