The Passer-by (1912) User Reviews

Innovative camera technique

[TevildoVardoMeiota · 7/10 · 14 May 2005]

A bachelor party is about to get underway, when - at the last moment - one participant can't make it. The guys decide to pull the first passer-by off the street to fill the empty chair, and ironically, they select a man whose life has been ruined by his unrequited love for the mother of the bridegroom-to-be. He reluctantly tells his story, which quiets the boisterous group, but its not revealed to him that the bridegroom is the son of his lost love until a climatic scene near the end (the audience is let into the secret much earlier). He has never recovered from her loss, and at critical moments in his life, chance encounters with her have the effect of sending him into a near catatonic state, usually to disastrous consequence for the passer-by.

The melodrama is fairly standard Edison fare of the period. One particular scene is quite notable: during one of his downturns there is a camera zoom to the face of the passer-by, emphasizing his emotionally shocked look. In early Edison movies there is little camera movement, which isn't too surprising for those shot in confines of the Black Maria, but even in the location shots even camera pans are fairly novel. When the camera zoomed, very effectively here in service of the story, I was almost as shocked as the protagonist.

First Dolly Shot In Cinema

[springfieldrental · 7/10 · 11 April 2021]

A "Dolly Shot" in film is when the camera moves towards or away from a subject. Generally, a camera is placed on a camera dolly which in turn is placed on tracks leading up to the subject a director wants to focus in on.

Director Oscar Apfel of Edison Studios created the first dolly shot in cinematic history in June 1912's "The Passer-by." He wanted to focus in on a passer-by who is escorted into a parlor where several friends want to reminiscence on the past, but need to fill a spot that an associate left empty for being called away. This passer-by, when he begins to tell is story from the past, becomes the director's primary interest. At 3:15 into the movie, Apfel has his camera moves in on actor Marc McDermott, the passer-by for a close-up. A substitution dissolve takes place as McDermott discards the old makeup powder to a younger look. Then the camera dollies backwards to show him with a different group of guys in a separate location. Apfel calls for the same dolly movement near the end of the movie before the reveal takes place.

The director used cinema's first dolly shot to great effect, lending to not only showing the interior angst of McDermott in the beginning and in the conclusion of the film but also eliminates and then introduces a new set of characters (then returning) crossing the timespans dictated by the plot.

Apfel later became known as the director who showed the ropes to making movies to a young Cecil B. DeMille when both joined the Laskey Play Company to film the 1914 feature film "The Squaw Man."

The Passer-By review

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 23 June 2020]

Marc MacDermott gives a nicely understated performance as the title character, a man invited to a dinner party as a lark when an intended guest drops out at the last minute. He tells the story of his life, the course of which has been determined by a woman who jilted him many years before. It's an engaging story, but The Passer By is also noticable for possibly the first slow zoom-in on a character, followed by a transition/slow zoom-out shot to show a younger version of the same character in similar surroundings. A surprisingly sophisticated film, both for the era and the production company (Edison).

Interesting Story, Creative Cinematography, Good Leading Performance

[Snow Leopard · 15 August 2005]

There are several strengths to this short drama that put it among the better movies of its time and genre. The story is interesting, and it features a couple of poignant moments. The cinematography features a creative technique that is used at a couple of key points, and that works well. Finally, Marc McDermott's leading performance is a good one, believably portraying his character at several different stages of his life.

The setting is a bachelor dinner to which "The Passer-By" (played by McDermott) is invited at the last minute. As McDermott's character begins to tell the sad story of his life, the camera pulls towards him until the frame is in close-up, and then there is a jump cut to the same character as a much younger man; then the camera slowly pulls back to show a very similar setting. The same basic process is repeated later in the movie. It works very well in pulling the viewer into the life of the character, and while similar techniques may be film-making staples today, Oscar Apfel and his crew deserve considerable credit for imagining it and for carrying it off so well.

MacDermott helps makes the story itself work pretty well. His understated yet credible portrayal of his character keeps the rather heavy story believable. By the time the character reaches the end of his narrative, the finale seems almost inevitable, yet it still works well enough, as does the movie as a whole.

Contrary to what the catalog for Edison Manufacturing Company may say . . .

[cricket30 · 6/10 · 6 June 2013]

. . . anyone who actually takes the time to watch THE PASSER-BY for its full 16 minute, 39.53-second running time will realize that thoughts of his long-lost love Lucille (played by Miriam Nesbitt) have NOT ruined the life of "Jack" (actor Marc McDermott); the downfall of his business career is clearly shown to be caused by an unfortunate early on-set of Alzheimer's Disease, or at the very least, a severe case of short attention span which makes the "Dory" character (voiced by Ellen Degeneres in FINDING NEMO) possess the memory of an elephant in comparison. An important and telling goof for this site's cast listing for THE PASSER-BY is that the forgetful old geezer's name is JACK; "Jim" is referred to once as the bachelor party no-show NEVER SEEN ON CAMERA whose absence leads to Jack being roped into the party! No doubt this site was either following the slip-shod Kino DVD film notes for its cast listing, or the original source material--an erroneous Edison coming attractions "Kinetograph" issue--for one of the johnny-come-lately Edison Company's first attempts to use inter-titles in a silent movie (ignored for many YEARS after the competition adopted them due to old Tom Edison's inability to read such necessary information, probably due to dyslexia or ADD). Maybe they MEANT to call the absent guest "Jack" and the ancient mariner "Jim," and the inter-titles typist screwed up, but viewers should report what is shown on the screen! This plot is hokey, full of coincidences even O. Henry would laugh out of the theater, and is best seen as yet another example of Edison Manufacturing's total incompetence at entertaining the American public (old Tom even thought YOU would be dying to see the beloved Coney Island circus performer Topsy the Elephant trumpeting in distress as she was fried alive with flames shooting out of her feet in his looniest tune, entitled ELECTROCUTING AN ELEPHANT!).

Just a Passerby

[kidboots · 8/10 · 22 March 2015]

Biograph was not the only studio to put out quality films. Edison, a not very imaginative studio, occasionally put out some outstanding productions. In 1912 Edison Company copyrighted Marion Brooks story "The Passerby" and Oscar Apfel directed it in a very masterly way.

When Jim, a guest at an engagement dinner has to send his apologies, as a lark, the other men decide to ask the first passer by they see to fill the vacant chair. After dinner stories are the order of the day and the stranger tells his reluctantly. Some very interesting camera shots, the camera slowly zooms in till Jack, (the passer by) is in full shot, then a fade out shows a youthful Jack at another dinner, long ago, just receiving word that his fiancée has married his rival that very day.

His hopes and energies are then put into speculating on the stock market and life is one long party because he is winning and his hated rival is losing. But his obsession with his rival brought about a fall in his fortunes - even in his lowly clerking jobs, if he sees a way to corner the market, he just ups and goes and is usually sacked by his frustrated employers because of his unreliability.

His story ends and he looks up at the painting which is the centre piece of the room - and it is her, the girl who jilted him all those years before. Marc MacDermott is the passerby but the story is the thing, along with some innovative camera touches.