Silent Photoplay Forum

donnie wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:05 pm

Man, what a weird one. I'm not sure I'd want to see what's coming next...

Ah! La Barbe aka A Funny Shave, 1906. Segundo de Chomon directed this one! Most of the copies of this film that are on youtube don't have any music, but luckily I found one!

Some guy is shaving in front of a mirror, and we quickly learn that he has some character flaws. He makes the odd choice of having a taste of his shaving cream and intended hilarity ensues. He sees faces in the mirror, the last one being the worst, and afterward has a nervous breakdown. What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg_ykaOsO1w

I like that one. Segundo de Chomon's work is interesting to watch, and this film is in amazingly good shape for 1906 footage—so sharp and clear. The man's playing to the camera does seem odd, however. That seemed to be a common feature of these very early comedies.

I love Segundo de Chomon! It's so out of the ordinary. Many of this era that I have seen are foreign. I wonder if that's just what their acting style was like? It's also interesting if you look closely... the heads in the mirror are talking, and the man also seems to be talking to us, as well.

Yes, it's interesting that they would be breaking the fourth wall in that way in that era, but they did seem to be doing that a lot in films from different filmmakers. It's also interesting that the man is all ok, once the face disappears—I think I'd have been left a little rattled. But I guess the emphasis was on spectacle rather than realism, as well.

You know thinking about the quality of that film, I think that's the best shape I've ever seen silent footage of that era in. It's really remarkable that it would have survived 111 years with no defects at all.

I didn't really think much of it before, but you're definitely right. It looks like something from the 20s, it's so well preserved!

Another Segundo de Chamon I like is The Electric Hotel. (I may have posted it before.) My favorite part is where they are being groomed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9reDgU4VpI

Yes, that's a really cool film. It's been posted before, but nice to see again!

This is another Segundo de Chomon film.

Look, all I'm saying is don't be eating lunch while watching the first few minutes of the weirdest silent film I've ever seen.
https://youtu.be/pw5yKcu4W00

This is a short horror film called "The Portrait" (1915). It is based on the short story by Nikolai Gogol about a man who finds a very lifelike portrait in a shop and decides to buy it. There is more to the story than there is here. This short film is just part of the story, but so well done.
https://youtu.be/xZaxq-POoQU
P.S. I think that's supposed to be gold in the bag.