Le cochon danseur

The Dancing Pig (1907)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

"Wow" is the first word that popped into my mind as soon as I saw the pig. If you're a fan of these old movies you know that most of the costumes of animals were incredibly fake looking but that's certainly not the case here. Apparently this was a very popular act on stage and it was filmed several times but this is the first one I've ever seen. Basically a woman takes a seat at a table and a large pig comes out and soon various sketches are done. There's one giant reason to check out this film and it's the pig costume, which is just incredible looking. I'm will flat out say it's the most realistic costume I've seen from this period and I'd argue that it's better looking than most of the costumes for decades to come. The entire thing just has a bizarre feel to it but wait until you get to the close up at the end of the film. Just check out the tongue and the teeth! This thing certainly could have been used for a terrific horror movie.

This 1907 footage is currently considered "Scary" because of the pig which has a pretty decent costume by the standards of that time but to some people it looks Horrendous and Scary but not me!.

The Footage is about a pig dancing with a woman, simple as that, but what stands out is the gloomy ending with the pig's face at that moment if it looks a bit disturbing.

It is assumed that the pig makes these expressions because he ate the woman for humiliating him in some scenes and it is a not so far-fetched response because we see him with a macabre laugh while touching his belly, although it is at the discretion of each person.

The Pig's costume is quite Good for the Standards of that time since at that time they used to wear somewhat fake and comical costumes but here the Costume is Realistic and their expressions look too good to be a simple costume.

This Footage is quite entertaining since we see the pig dancing while some things happen but let's say that the Ending is not so friendly.

This short itself is memorable because of how Bizarre it is and because of its ending, which I already said is a bit terrifying, but that does not mean that this is a great film!.

For everything I said above "Le Cochon Danseur" receives an 8.

This early 20th century silent short from France was the first item on disc 2 of the "Saved from the Flames" DVD collection. It has someone in a giant pig costume being humiliated by a beautiful girl dancer he has a crush on as she strips his clothes and makes him dance both naked (so to speak) and with a dress on. Oddly, this is when the pig enjoys himself to the point of sticking his tongue out and moving his eyes! I found this pretty amusing if not hilarious and, at 4 minutes, just about the right length. I do wonder if this was meant for children especially with the stripping and the female dancer moving her skirt up and down like the famous Can-Can. Still, The Dancing Pig (the English title on the disc) is worth a look.

This film was included in the three DVD set "Saved From the Flames"--a collection of mostly ephemeral movies that have managed to avoid turning to powder, catching fire or melting--something that usually happened with the nitrate film stock used up through the 1950s.

According to the notes for this film, the Dancing Pig routine was common on stage and it was filmed for several different companies--in this case Pathé-Frères. I have not seen any of the other versions, but was amazed at this short film--mostly because the pig costume was amazing to see. While it didn't look like a real pig (after all, pigs aren't over six feet high nor do they wear clothes and dance like people), it didn't look like a cheap old costume. Heck, it was better than what I'd expect a lot of companies today! Seriously.

The film consists of the pig performing alone and with a pretty woman. There really isn't much plot, but it's a pretty cool film--one that should STILL grab your attention today.

A lovely short film, reminding the flavor of vaudevil, fragment of a lost time , one the little love stories beginning as desire to conquest the beautiful lady, becoming manipulated by her,representing mixture of humor- not so soft- and nostalgia , a seductive story about a pig as part of a kind of parable and a decided woman using it in not the most delicate proposition. Short - pure gem.