The Airship Destroyer

England faces aerial invasion in this entertaining Edwardian science fiction fantasy.

This dramatic enemy-invasion fantasy bears all the hallmarks of Sci-Fi films to come: crazy contraptions, a fleet of flying objects, a sky battle, crumbling buildings and a city in ruins. Pioneering fantasy and 'trick' films director W.R. Booth used cut-out animation and models to create the airship menace. Can our hero save the day and get the girl with the aid of his airship-destroyer?

The threat of aerial warfare was, in 1909, both futuristic and prophetic. That year saw both the first aeroplane flight over the English Chanel and the establishment of the British Secret Service - reflecting mounting fears of foreign espionage and invasion. The Airship Destroyer was re-released in 1915, by which time the prospect of Zeppelin attack was a very real concern.