The 20th Century! : 1900

Why hello there! Today is the start of something fantastic...the 20th century!! We have 5 films to get through today so let's get started shall we?...we shall! 


First up is As Seen Through A Telescope by George Albert Smith. It took some digging to find a video but I did and it's an interesting piece...

There are 3 shots in this film (which is more than a lot of the pieces we've seen up until now) and is classified as a comedy. It's kind of extremely boring in my opinion...L'Arroseur Arrose was infinitely funnier than this. I don't know maybe i'm just tired but I didn't see the humor in this at all (post a comment if you feel differently). All in all it wasn't too terrible and is certainly a nice film to start the century on. 


Next we have Sir Edison doing what he does best...showing absolutely nothing. This time in The Enchanted Drawing a guy draws a picture and then some supplemental accessories (which were also drawn on) are taken and put back on the drawing and depending on the action the picture reacts...mkay. 

 It's probably because i've grown up with CGI and 3D but I certainly wasn't impressed. Although I think someone in the 1900s would have completely flipped their shit during or after watching this short piece. I also wonder when animation burst on to the scene because there are some major animation elements in the tricks used to simulate the enchantment. You should go find the answer and let me know! (I'll wait......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................you find it?...No?...........LOOK AGAIN!.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................assuming you've tried harder leave the answer somewhere on this page and I will reward you with love and admiration =D.) 


Now that we have enlightened ourselves let's move on to the next film...the birth of Michael Bay (also known as Explosion of a Motor Car). 

So a couple of things...why the heck was the cop just flinging body parts around...not cool man!! And speaking of that...if there was an actual 'splosion why weren't the clothes of the poor car riders slightly tattered (at the very least)?? After that the piece was certainly interesting and should be applauded in it's use of editing and other special effects. We need more of this...you know just shit being blown up. Screw stories, plots, and character development! It's all about the 'SPLOSIONS!!

Moving along through this year we have another Smith piece, Grandma's Reading Glass...

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I don't understand why it was so important for this Smith guy to put a black piece of paper with a whole in it over the camera lens. Like...the proportions are all wrong and there is no peripheral vision which is just dumb...not a fan. 

Ok so this next piece is the first cinematic incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character. Let's watch! 

...so Holmes gets robbed by Nightcrawler??...

That's it for today...I know it's a bit short but my life is a little busy right now as I finish up summer session (2 more weeks!) and get ready for my 21st birthday!! (about a week and a half away). Next time we'll get into 1901 and slowly but surely we're going to have some more plot! (such excitement). See you on Sunday! 

Films Watched Today
- As Seen Through A Telescope (George Smith)
- The Enchanted Drawing (Thomas Edison)
- Explosion of a Motor Car (Cecil Hepworth)
- Grandma's Reading Glass (George Smith)
- Sherlock Holmes Baffled (Arthur Marvin)