At the Foot of the Flatiron (1903) User Reviews

Simple But Amusing

[Snow Leopard · 28 March 2005]

For such a simple idea, this feature has some interesting footage of a bygone age, plus a few amusing moments. The whole movie consists of footage taken near the then-famous Flatiron Building on a very windy day. The main attraction, though, is not the building itself, but the sidewalk crowds that surge past.

The fashion of the times apparently made the wearing of hats a very high priority, both for women and for men, and at times it is rather amusing to see the considerable extra effort required of most of the pedestrians as a result. Only a handful of them are not challenged by the conditions.

Movies like this provide an interesting glimpse into the lives and habits of persons of long- ago eras, and in this case, it might also give us cause to think about our own unquestioned habits that incur upon us a lot of unnecessary trouble. The less logical of practices from past generations are easier to identify than are our own, of course, but future generations who watch movies of our own normal daily routines will no doubt find them just as quaint and amusing as this footage seems now.

Fascinating glimpse into the past

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 26 April 2009]

Director A. E. Weed placed his camera on a busy city street one windy day in 1903 and filmed the crowds as they walked past. It was a simple and not particularly imaginative idea, but watched more than a century later it provides a fascinating glimpse of the lives and fashions of our ancestors.

Some passers-by gaze openly at the camera while other bustle past without a glance. A bored looking policeman - one of many apparently assigned to hustle along those who fell for the urban myth that the wind was prone to raise passing ladies' skirts - trudges past. There a couple of moments of spontaneous humour: a woman tries walking backwards to combat the fierce wind, while a coloured gentleman's hat appears to fly vertically upward from his head before he can catch it. Simple stuff, but highly watchable.