If you don't learn from the past you are doomed to repeat its bad impact...i.e. the L.A. fires.
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| Inceville in 1912 where silent Western films were produced |
Over a century ago a fire destroyed Inceville, CA. Inceville was where the Pacific Palisades now rests. It was founded by Thomas Ince in 1912 and was developed into a silent film studio.
The Ince studio principally produced Western films and was the first studio to establish a star system and formalized the roles of director, screenwriter, and editor as separate, vital filmmaking positions.
In 1916, Inceville was damaged by fire and Ince was forced to move his filmmaking operation to Culver City where he teamed up with D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett. These three early filmmakers formed the Triangle Studio which was subsequently acquired by Goldwyn Pictures in 1918.
Ince sold what was left of Inceville to William Hart, who at the time was one of the silent stars of Western films. Hart rebuilt and operated it until 1922 when another fire destroyed the entire studio... it was left in ruins for years after.
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| Filmmaking by William Hart in rebuilt Inceville which then burnt down in 1922 |
Fast forward, and we see the Palisades again destroyed by fire over a century later...nothing was learned from history. So, it should come as no surprise that the Santa Ana winds will stoke the smallest spark into a roaring inferno, and it will happen again. We cannot stop nature's destructive powers, but we have the capacity to mitigate it. The fact that there was no water, a shortage of firefighters, and purposeful lack of vegetation control made for the perfect storm for the current total destruction of the Palisades.
We need to learn from the past. If not, it will be repeated.
By: Jim Lavorato
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