Fights of nations motion picture

"Mexico and Spain": a man dressed as a Mexican peasant spies on a happy young woman and her Spanish suitor. The jealous peasant rises from his hiding place to stab his rival, but the woman grabs his arm and stops him. The two men engage in a fierce knife fight. The Spaniard disarms his opponent. The woman pleads for the peasant's life and the Spaniard spares him. -- "Our Hebrew Friends": on a street set with a backdrop of storefronts, two men are arguing. A third man, happens upon the scene and joins the fight. The three men turn in a circle kicking each other until a policeman arrives and breaks them apart. The third man draws the officer aside with an offer of a bribe, which the policeman accepts. The money, however, is apparently taken back when the two shake hands, and the three men rejoice after the policeman walks off. -- "'Hoot mon!' A Scottish Combat": at the end of a duel between two men in kilts, one falls to the ground wounded. A third kilted man enters, sees the fallen man, and he fights the victor. The third man disarms his opponent and stands victorious with his foot upon the man's chest. -- "Sunny Africa, Eighth Avenue, New York" takes place in an African-American dance hall and features several dance numbers, including a solo tap dance. When a young man is motioned outside, an older gentleman introduces himself to the young man's female companion. They have a drink and are dancing a lively cakewalk when the young man returns and angrily breaks them apart. The two men draw knives and fight until they are separated. Smiling, the young man and his lady cakewalk out the door. -- "Sons of the Ould Sod": from a window in a two-story tenement, a woman hangs clothes on a line, as her husband arrives with a pail of beer. Their neighbor sits in front of the building, reading a newspaper. The woman accidentally drops a wet sheet on the neighbor's head, prompting a fight between the two men. The woman ends the battle by bringing out a bucket of beer for the men, who laugh and toast each other. -- "America, The Land of the Free": a grand staircase is decorated with various flags, the American eagle, and two large U.S. flags draped on either side. In pairs, different characters descend the staircase and happily introduce themselves: two men in uniform, accompanied by women in gowns, a stout older man with the British flag on his shirt, and the men from "Mexico and Spain". A young Native American woman hurries down the stairs and kneels with her head bowed. Lastly are two young U.S. soldiers flanking the entrance of Uncle Sam, who is cheered by all.
H90564 U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 18Feb1907; H90564.
Camera, G.W. "Billy" Bitzer.
Biograph production no. 3272.
Paper print shelf number (LC 2412) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
Filmed January 17, 19, 23 and 24, 1906, in the Biograph studio, New York City.
Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 103; AFI cat.: film beginnings, 1893-1910, 1995; Biograph bulletins 1896-1908, p. 290; Biograph photo catalog, v. 7, p. 3.
Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.