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» » The Conspiracy of Pontiac; or, At Fort Detroit in 1763 (1910)

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The story, which is well known to every school child, is taken from Parkman's History and is presented without alteration or embellishment, and in the number of people employed and in the character or the scenic mountings is by long odds the greatest Indian production yet offered under the Kalem trade-mark. It will be remembered that Major Gladwynn, Commandant of Fort Detroit in 1763, had declared his love for a young Indian girl and she had become much attached to him. At this period Pontiac was at the height of his power and had sent emissaries about the villages of the Ottawas inciting war against the whites. The final plan involved the entry to the fort of a number of picked chieftains, each carrying a shortened gun beneath his blanket. The mission was ostensibly to be one of peace, but at a signal from Pontiac the chieftains were to drop their blankets and to massacre the whites. However, Major Gladwynn was informed of the plot by the Indian girl and when Pontiac presented ...

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    • Author: Renthadral
    "Pontiac's Conspiracy" is the title of the book by Francis Parkman which, for a century and a half, has been the standard text on Pontiac's War.

    In 1763 France ceded its mainland North American holdings to Great Britain. Previously, the French had not seriously colonized south of the Great Lakes. Now, English farmers poured into what would become Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Fearful they would be pushed out, several of the Indian leaders met with British leaders at Fort Detroit. They were supposed to discuss these issues. However, under Pontiac's leadership, the Indians brought weapons, hoping to seize the fort. The British, however, had been warned and never gave them the chance.

    This short movie attempts to visualize these events. It is a ham-handed affair, with everyone posing like they're on a float in a parade. The camera-work is fine, if stolid for the era, and the story offered is the sort of proto-feminist vehicle that Olcott had been directing for Kalem for some time. Unlike the Gene Gauntier action vehicles, however, this one is inert.
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