Opening Day at Belmont (1905)

[my miss storm cat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG8Nq...layer_embedded

[joeydb]

That was cool. I've never seen an old-fashioned start without a gate. And that horse on the outside never heard of "saving ground" apparently.

Too bad that we still don't correct for the different frames-per-second of the old films, because everything looks unnaturally fast. But I guess if we slowed it down things would look choppy since there aren't as many frames as are in modern film and video.

[TouchOfGrey]

Neat find. Thanks for sharing.

[herkhorse]

Isn't that Morty at 1:32?

[Pedigree Ann]

Notice all the dust being kicked up? Horses in the rear nearly obscured by it. Watertrucks not much in evidence in the olden days, when men were men and giants (like Colin, Fair Play, Sysonby, Beldame) walked the earth.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Notice all the dust being kicked up? Horses in the rear nearly obscured by it. Watertrucks not much in evidence in the olden days, when men were men and giants (like Colin, Fair Play, Sysonby, Beldame) walked the earth.

I'm assuming you were just a teenager back then?

[Linny]

Originally Posted by joeydb

That was cool. I've never seen an old-fashioned start without a gate. And that horse on the outside never heard of "saving ground" apparently.
Too bad that we still don't correct for the different frames-per-second of the old films, because everything looks unnaturally fast. But I guess if we slowed it down things would look choppy since there aren't as many frames as are in modern film and video.

They had a straightaway over 7f so it's possible that was a straight track race.

The upper class also had slaves who would fetch drinks and cool their master off with a fan.

Those were the good ol' days where people knew their place. The nerve of people these days.

[Linny]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

The upper class also had slaves who would fetch drinks and cool their master off with a fan.

Those were the good ol' days where people knew their place. The nerve of people these days.

What does this have to do with 100yo footage from Belmont. I don't think that there were slaves there. This was 30 years after the Civil War and slavery was outlawed in NY well before that. The rich had servants, most of whom made little money but were housed and fed far better as a result of their service than they could have been otherwise. Many household servants ended up up named in the wills of their bosses, including my great grandmother who worked for the Fisher family.

Originally Posted by Linny

What does this have to do with 100yo footage from Belmont. I don't think that there were slaves there. This was 30 years after the Civil War and slavery was outlawed in NY well before that. The rich had servants, most of whom made little money but were housed and fed far better as a result of their service than they could have been otherwise. Many household servants ended up up named in the wills of their bosses, including my great grandmother who worked for the Fisher family.

Good grief.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Too bad that we still don't correct for the different frames-per-second of the old films, because everything looks unnaturally fast. But I guess if we slowed it down things would look choppy since there aren't as many frames as are in modern film and video.

That may actually have been a choice. Those old films were hand-cranked, and the filmmaker could adjust the speed according to the subject matter being filmed (for example, the Keystone Cops movies were supposed to look that ridiculously fast). I could see a filmmaker wanting to convey the thrill of the races by speeding up the film. Old film would range in frames per second but there was no set standard. Standardization only came about with the addition of sound. Modern 35mm film is 24 per second and video is 30.

Which might also be why they look fast- old films run through modern projectors are automatically sent through at 24 frames per second, which speeds up old films depending on the speed at which the film was originally shot.

They can "slow down" the film today by a process where they repeat some frames, but it's really $$$$ to do. It does look a little jerky, but it's not bad. But again, expensive, so seldom done.

And digital video can be adjusted today to shoot at 24 frames per second, so digital filmmakers can make it look more like film and less like video.

Pardon me while I push my nerd glasses back up my nose.