Suveyors Stars Shine Brightly : the Surveyors, Their Instruments and Measurements in Movies
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Suveyors stars shine brightly : the surveyors, their instruments and measurements in movies Autor(en): Brock, J.F. Objekttyp: Article Zeitschrift: Geomatik Schweiz : Geoinformation und Landmanagement = Géomatique Suisse : géoinformation et gestion du territoire = Geomatica Svizzera : geoinformazione e gestione del territorio Band (Jahr): 106 (2008) Heft 12 PDF erstellt am: 02.10.2021 Persistenter Link: http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-236558 Nutzungsbedingungen Die ETH-Bibliothek ist Anbieterin der digitalisierten Zeitschriften. Sie besitzt keine Urheberrechte an den Inhalten der Zeitschriften. Die Rechte liegen in der Regel bei den Herausgebern. Die auf der Plattform e-periodica veröffentlichten Dokumente stehen für nicht-kommerzielle Zwecke in Lehre und Forschung sowie für die private Nutzung frei zur Verfügung. Einzelne Dateien oder Ausdrucke aus diesem Angebot können zusammen mit diesen Nutzungsbedingungen und den korrekten Herkunftsbezeichnungen weitergegeben werden. Das Veröffentlichen von Bildern in Print- und Online-Publikationen ist nur mit vorheriger Genehmigung der Rechteinhaber erlaubt. Die systematische Speicherung von Teilen des elektronischen Angebots auf anderen Servern bedarf ebenfalls des schriftlichen Einverständnisses der Rechteinhaber. Haftungsausschluss Alle Angaben erfolgen ohne Gewähr für Vollständigkeit oder Richtigkeit. Es wird keine Haftung übernommen für Schäden durch die Verwendung von Informationen aus diesem Online-Angebot oder durch das Fehlen von Informationen. Dies gilt auch für Inhalte Dritter, die über dieses Angebot zugänglich sind. Ein Dienst der ETH-Bibliothek ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Schweiz, www.library.ethz.ch http://www.e-periodica.ch Kultur- und Technikgeschichte Surveyors Stars Shine Brightly The surveyors, their instruments and measurements in movies You wouldn't believe in how many Hollywood style movies and scenes the surveyors, their instruments and measurements play their roles! John F.Brock, surveyor from Australia, is collecting and classifying information on such movies. Since his first screening at the XXI FIG Congress at Brighton in the UK on July 1998 he has collected further movies bearing reference to surveying. However for this article he concentrates on those movies in which surveying is the main theme or that the surveyor is the star of the production. In erstaunlich vielen Hollywood-Filmen spielen Vermesser, ihre Instrumente und Fig. 1: Sarah Polley and Wes Bentley Messungen eine Rolle. John F. Brock, Geometer in Australien, sammelt und klassifiziert in «The Claim» 2000). Informationen übersolcheFilme. Seit seinem ersten Beitragam FIG-Kongress in Brighton 1998 hat er weitere Vermesser-Filme gesammelt. Der Artikel konzentriert sich auf veyors at work – you grab that pole staff) Filme, in denen die Vermessung das Hauptthema oder der Vermesser der Star der and go out that way and I’ll stand behind Produktion ist. th is thing and wave at you!» gesturing with two hands in a forward motion over Dans remarquablementbeaucoupde filmsHollywoodlesarpenteurs, leursinstruments his head) to which Hardy retorts: «Why F. et leurs mesurages jouaient un rôle. John Brock, géomètre en Australie collectionne don’t you grab that pole and go out that et classifie des informations sur de tels films. Depuis son premier exposé lors du Congrès way and I’ll wave at you!» Breen thinks a FIG en 1998 à Brighton il a collectionné d’autres films d’arpenteurs. L’article met short while before saying: «It’s pretty silly l’accent sur des films dans lesquels la mensuration était le thème principal ou – isn’t it?» to which he responds: l’arpenteur le star de la production. «Yep!» There are many other references to boundary markers and surveyors È sorprendente notare in quanti film di Hollywood un ruolo importante sia svolto dai throughout the production, but another geometri, dailoro strumenti e dallemisurazioni.John F. Brock, ungeometra australiano, part which I found rather catchy, was raccoglie e classificaleinformazionisu questi film. Nel 1998alcongresso FIGdiBrighton when Wayne holds up a survey stake he ha presentato una prima raccolta di film che da allora è stata ampliata.Quest’articolo finds laying on the ground to show Hardy si concentra sui film in cui la misurazione è il tema principale o il geometra è il what he had found, only to have it shot protagonista della produzione. from his hand by an unidentified gunman! Yep! Surveying sure is a dangerous job in the wild Wild West! by «The Duke» accepts the offer of the Just to demonstrate how perilo us surveys J.F. Brock glamorous widow of the murdered were in Hollywood western epics, we surveyor to pose as the new «Town Surveyor have two such examples in «Denver and Surveyors in the Wild West » using the equipment of her husband Rio Grande» 1952) and «Western in an attempt to get to the bottom of the «The Fighting Kentuckian» 1949) starring scam set up by the crooks to dispossess «The Duke» John Wayne himself was the French sett lers. In one memorable also directed by him and co-starred the scene of the movie «The Duke» and the big man Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy big man are discussing the capacity of fame. It is a quite entertaining western, each ofthemto successfully portray them where the bad guy played by Philip Dorn selves as surveyors and Hardy points to setsout to stealland originally settledand the transit theodolite) set up in the middle staked out by French settlers, by pulling of the log cabin in which they are out or relocating the survey marks and residing. He then says: «We don’t know then killing the town surveyor to prevent enough about those things to fool detection. Our hero Captain William anybody!» to which Breen firmly replies: Fig. 2: James Mason in«Journey tothe Breen of the Kentucky Long Rifles played «Well. Surewe do! You’ve seen Armysur¬ Centre of Earth» 1959). Geomatik Schweiz 12/2008 651 Histoire de la culture et de la technique employed by the company to carry out this task with Randolph Scott acting as their security patrol. One scene shows drunken Indians being allowed to search through the wagon train of the telegraph surveyors for trinkets to seize. When the leader of the band wants to souvenir the surveyor’s transit, Scott wrestles it from his grasp and then attempts to ward off the subsequent knife attack with the Fig. 3: Hugh Grant and Ian McNiece in instrument itself. However Young shoots «The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill Fig. 6: Brad Pitt in «Seven Years in theIndian before he has a chance to damage But Came Down a Mountain» 1995). Tibet» 1997). the vital piece of gear for the work in Union« 1941). In the first «cowdy» we whichtheywereengaged, whichprompts ing fissure. Now, not all that far away we have Edmund O’Brien JimVesser) playing Scott to knock him down for his extreme haveoneofjosef Mengele’s SShenchmen one tough guy surveyor for the Denver action. The camera pans around to show throw the dammonitoring surveyor from and Rio Grande Railway Company, laying Chill Wills deadat thetop of thetelegraph the top of the dam to a gory end at the out the path for their railway lines. Sterling pole with an arrow in his chest! You better bottom of the 300 metre drop in «The Hayden and Don Haggerty Bob believe that Wild West surveying sure Boys From Brazil» 1975) which stars Nelson) play the two surveyors for the Carson is hazardous! Gregory Peck. City and San juan Railway Company. «The Heritage of the Desert» 1932) is a They are surveying along the same route great western starring Randolph Scott, for their trains, which is clearly only suitable where he plays the boundary surveyor enough for one of the rail lines to be employed by one of the land barons of laid. When the three men confront each the sheep country to confirm the other, somewhere along the survey delineation of his ownership tothwart the bad-guy- traverses there is a tense verbal alte rcation, dressed-in-black claim jumper from where O’Brien threatens to throw staking a dubious claim over the estate. Hayden’s survey stakes into the river, which On the way to meet his engager Scott has provokes a fist fight between Nelson and his two horses shot from under him by O’Brien and ultimately Nelson is shot dead the bad man’s henchmen only to be by Hayden, but the blame for the killing rescued from dehydration by the very glamorous is falsely transferredonto O’Brien. «Western Fig. 5: «The Duke« John Wayne in female lead, portrayed by Sally Union« was set around the survey to «The Fighting Kentuckian» 1949). Blane. In one classic scene Scott wrestles lay out the path for the telegraph line Deadly Dangerous a steer around the pen without losing his through Indian land. Dean Jagger and hat! Jumping to his feet he begins to Robert Young are the two land surveyors Now there are a couple of rather obscure discuss hisplannedmovements withthe land world movies some with subtitles) in owner at which time he finally removes which the surveyor character meets his his hat to reveal that he was carrying the fate in very grisly fashion. In the boundary survey planunder his hat all the lovespurned drama «Mararia» 1998) set on the Canary Islands, the geological surveyor played by British actor lain Glen performs more than his contract services, when he courts the island beauty Maria beforegetting herpregnant.However the local doctor, who is obsessed with the beautiful damsel in distress, takes exception to the scornful attitude of the surveyor towards his princess, so sets about planting a rock pick into the back of his Fig. 4: Val Kilmer in «The Ghost and rival’s neck then shoves the body and all Fig. 7: Charlton Heston in «The Ten the Darkness» 1996). ofthe scientificequipmentdown a steam¬ Commandments» 1956). 652 Géomatique Suisse 12/2008 Kultur- und Technikgeschichte time! Gun battles, bar room brawls and «Bergin» but before our man can get his the ultimate ride off into the sunset with own name out the big fellow cuts him off the fair damsel make this worth watching by saying: «It doesn’t matter! You’re just especially for the superstar surveyor the land surveyor!» Well, I never! Scott.