Le cochon danseur

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.

This early 20th-century film delivers several genuine "wow" moments. The first comes just seconds in, when an oversized, strangely anthropomorphized swine makes its entrance: its top hat does a full 360-degree flip before landing, and soon after, it sticks unnaturally to the side of the swine's head-something we've only seen replicated by Simon Adebisi's hat in the prison drama Oz nearly a century later. There's a moment later in the film that reveals a bit too much of the top of the pig's head, offering clues as to how they pulled these tricks off.

The second and third "wow" moments occur mid-film and again at the end, the latter featuring close-ups that highlight just how much effort must have gone into constructing the pig's head. The range of bizarre expressions the swine pulls off is both mind-boggling and a little creepy. Still, I have to appreciate the somewhat realistic look of the swine-it's certainly not a pig out of a Disney story.

This is a vaudeville-style film, where the scenes aren't always strongly connected. Much of it consists of period stage comedy, filled with constant motion and wild dancing-something that might feel tedious to modern viewers. It's not a style we tend to prefer these days, so it's difficult to praise or criticize whether the performers were especially skilled, or how audiences at the time felt about it.

I watched both the original black-and-white version and an AI-enhanced, colorized version with adjusted frame rates. Unsurprisingly, the original is creepier and more entertaining due to the unnatural speed and raw charm, but the enhanced version offers a clearer sense of what the performers were actually doing-and enduring-on set.

All in all, a fascinating viewing experience.

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.

Many people seem to find this old, French short to be very creepy, but I tend to disagree. I found it to be charmingly unique and humorous; it's clearly a film made to produce laughter and joy rather than fear. Depending on how you look at it, the pig suit in the film can be seen as either wacky and funny or haunting and disturbing. Either way, this short must come across as interesting to almost anyone in one way or another.

Essentially, all this film consists of is a brief vaudevillian performance featuring a man in a weird, silly pig costume engaging in outrageous slapstick with a well dressed and mischievous woman. It's quite surreal and can be interpreted as off putting by some, but I found it to be very amusing and enjoyable to watch. It got a few genuine laughs out of me and, overall, left me with a nice, warm grin across my face.

The internet site "Know Your Meme" named the close-up of the anthropologic pig in the 1907 French short "The Dancing Pig" as one of the first memes of the 20th century. The GIF shows the last 20 seconds of the movie as the pig rolls his eyes, flaps his ears, wags his tongue and shows sharp teeth. The short begins with a man dressed as a pig trying to pick up a woman, who eventually disrobes the pig. They then dance up a storm on the set. This routine has been cited as a reenactment of a vaudeville act. At the end, the movie cuts to a closeup of the pig's face, with creepy actions from the pig. The movie was forgotten for decades until someone created the meme, sparking numerous nightmares for many viewers.