A workman flees from a lunatic who wishes to return a putty knife.

A young man's telephone call to his sweetheart is intercepted by her father, who beats him with his umbrella.

Though James Williamson had already made at least 122 one-shot films since 1897 (mostly comedies such as Washing the Sweep or actualities like Early Fashions on Brighton Pier, both 1898, Attack on a China Mission - Bluejackets to the Rescue (1900) was a quantum leap forward in style, content, technique and ambition. In The Beginnings of the Cinema in England, historian John Barnes claims it had "the most fully developed narrative of any film made in England up to that time". While most dramatic films of the era consisted of one or two shots and single-figure casts, Williamson's film had four shots (including a reverse angle cut, showing the entrance to the mission from two different perspectives) and at least two dozen performers. It was based on the Boxer Rebellion of the early months of 1900, with the secret 'Boxer' society attempting to expel of foreigners in general and Christian missionaries in particular from their native China. Williamson was following in the footsteps of Georges Méliès, whose eleven-scene dramatised documentary L'Affaire Dreyfus (1899) was very influential on British film-makers, many of whom made similar dramatisations of the events of the ongoing Boer War. But Williamson's film comfortably outstripped them in scale and ambition. Though the Warwick Trading Company had distributed moving images of China that same year, there was no actual footage of the Boxer Rebellion. In order to meet perceived public demand, Williamson made his film in Hove at a derelict house called Ivy Lodge (which would also be the main location for Fire!, 1901). He went to considerable lengths to ensure that his film appeared to be authentic, kitting out the house with a bilingual Anglo-Chinese 'Mission Station' sign and drawing on his background as a chemist in order to fake gunshots and explosions. The full film ran 230 feet, or roughly four minutes at contemporary projection speeds. Just under half of this footage survives, though thankfully it includes material from all four shots. Despite some obvious trims (the initial forcing of the gate is missing, and the wife's appeal on the balcony to the sailors must surely have lasted more than one second), enough remains to give a good account of what the original audience must have seen. The premiere was held on 17 November 1900 at Hove Town Hall, and was such a success that the audience (fruitlessly) demanded a repeat screening there and then.

James Williamson's September 1902 catalogue contains a detailed synopsis: First Scene: Policeman on his beat in the early morning finds an unoccupied portion of a building well alight with window burnt out, while the inmates of the adjoining part are apparently asleep and unconscious of their danger. He endeavours to arouse them, and tries to open door, blows his whistle to call assistance and rushes off to call the fire engine and escape. Second Scene: Outside the fire station; policeman rushes in, shakes the door and rings the bell; fireman opens door, policeman excitedly gives particulars of fire, other firemen hurry forward, dressing as they go and quickly rush off with small fire escape. In an incredibly short time a horse is fixed to another escape, and two horses into a manual engine, and the whole gallop off. Third Scene: Shows horsed fire escape and engine coming full gallop past the camera. Fourth Scene: Interior of bedroom full of smoke; man in bed just rousing; discovering room full of smoke he jumps out of bed and throws contents of water jug over the fire, then rushes to the door and opens it, but finds his passage blocked by flame and smoke; he then goes towards the window, but just at that moment the curtains set alight, and overcome by smoke and heat he buries his head in the bedclothes. The window curtains and blind now burnt away disclose a fireman outside with hatchet breaking in the window; he comes in with his hose and quickly extinguishes the fire; he then goes to the relief of the man now helpless on the bed, and puts him across his shoulder, and carries him to the window. Fifth Scene: Shows the outside of the window; fireman with rescued man across his shoulders comes down escape; another fireman runs up and fetches down the hose, throwing out some bedclothes to put round the rescued man; the latter recovering his senses recollects that there are others in the burning building. One fireman, laying a wet cloth over his mouth, breaks into a French window, while others hurry away with the escape to another part of the building. Fireman re-appears through the smoke with a child in his arms, the previously rescued man clutching the child from him hurries away with her, overjoyed at her rescue. Meanwhile the captain has directed another party of firemen to prepare to rescue another inmate, who appears at the window in an exhausted condition; the fire escape being occupied elsewhere, the jumping sheet is brought into requisition, and the man jumps into it and is carried away by the firemen.

James Williamson's 1902 catalogue has a detailed description: Shows how a dinner went to the dogs. Three scenes. 1st Scene - Quiet roadway, tramp slouching along, butcher walks up briskly with tray on shoulder, tramp lifts joint from tray and bolts, butcher after him. 2nd Scene - Roadway and front of cottages; tramp rushes past, dogs after him and then butcher; cottagers come out and look after them. 3rd Scene - A large tub; tramp comes in, dodges round the tub, hoping to escape his pursuers; throws joint into tub, and jumps in after it; dogs following closely behind, sniff round the tub, then jump in one by one, first a large collie, then a French poodle, then a black and white terrier; another small dog runs round, but cannot manage the jump. What happens inside can be imagined by the ragged condition of the tramp when the butcher comes along, and after driving off the dogs, pulls him out, and then finds the bare bone left in the tub. A tussle between the butcher and the tramp brings the subject to a close.

A short melodrama based on Hans Christian Andersen's harrowing tale. A poor little girl tries to sell matchsticks in the freezing December cold. She lights matches for some light and warmth. There are visions: a fireplace, dinner, a Christmas tree. She sees her dead mother, welcoming her.

multi-shot chase film

A poor family, suffering from a lack of food, plan to sell their dog to gain some extra income. Before they act on their plan, the dog discovers some buried jewels. These turn out to be stolen, and the family are given a £100 reward.

Here is a most novel picture. A prominent actor with wonderful talent for facial contortion is standing some distance from the camera. As the film is set in motion, he walks toward the lens until his head grows into enormous proportions. He then stands so close to the camera that every wrinkle in his face, and in fact, the pores of his skin are plainly shown and greatly magnified. As he comes closer to the lens he opens his mouth wide, and is biting at the instrument all the while. He is then seen to swallow the camera, operator and all. He is next seen backing away from the instrument, smacking lips and rubbing his stomach in great glee. Very funny and a great hit. 【Written by Edison Catalog】

The adventures of an inattentive man. He's at his kitchen table, reading. A woman brings his hat and points to the clock. He continues reading and pours coffee into his hat. He leaves, still reading, trips over a servant who's on her hands and knees cleaning the walk. He walks through jump-roping girls, runs into a mule, walks into the only other person on an empty street, and then walks into the path of a steamroller. Two cyclists approach his flattened body. Out come their air pumps, and soon our genial hero has set off again, nose in his book.