Postby Kyle » Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:22 pm
The Perils of Pauline was released in 1914 and is fairly well-known as a popular early serial (in other words, a series of short films, not a full-length feature film). It got its name because its herione, Pauline, was in peril throughout much of the series (strangely enough). I don't know too many specifics but she got herself into a lot of trouble, and probably ended up tied up at one point or another. If I remember correctly, Pauline inherited a large sum of money and the evil bad guy wanted to make her..."disappear"...so he could have that money himself. It's interesting to note Pauline more often than not was able to get herself out of her perilous situations, making her more resourceful than damsels in distress are often considered to be.
That is the only one I know of that came before Birth of a Nation. Birth of a Nation is generally considered the first major feature film in the United States and is sometimes mistaken as the first full-length feature film period, so films released before it was released are hard to find information on.
The Perils of Pauline was fairly successful and spawned a number of imitations. The damsel in distress was a heavily used plot device in early silent films of the late 1910's and into the 1920's, and it was from these films many of the cliches often associated with damsels in distress came about, such as being "tied to the tracks" or tied up near a deadly sawmill. Actually, tying a damsel in distress to railroad tracks predates films as it was seen in a few plays in the late 1800's. Apparently people liked it. And of course everyone knows about King Kong.