Serpentine Dance by Lina Esbrard (1902)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Midwife to the Upper Class (1902)
*** (out of 4)
An Untimely Intrusion (1902) *** (out of 4)
Miss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902)
*** (out of 4)
Four more early works from female director Alice Guy from the recent Kino's collection of Gaumont Studio shorts. SERPENTINE DANCE BY LINA ESBRARD features the lady doing a dance, which really isn't too different than the countless other serpentine dances being done by various studios as well as an earlier one by Guy herself. MIDWIFE TO THE UPPER CLASS is a "spoof" of rich people as a couple (with the man being played by a woman) visits a cabbage patch to buy a kid. This comedy doesn't really feature any true laughs but it remains fun thanks in large part to the sets, which are quite creative in their own way. It's also worth noting that the film has two different settings, which might not seem like much today but back in 1902 this was something rather new (and refreshing). The movie has a rather typical and racist joke where the couple are shown a black baby but they turn their heads in disgust so the sensitive types should be warned. AN UNTIMELY INTRUSION is another comedy about a husband and wife fighting in their room when their landlady walks in just as the husband throws something across the room. Of course, it nails the landlady and soon there's an even bigger fight. This one here actually does manage to get a rather nice laugh as all the action, in the tight 55-seconds, manages to be rather violent and quite funny. The print from Kino is missing several frames and it appears that some footage is slightly missing. MISS DUNDEE AND HER PERFORMING DOGS is exactly what the title says. Dog lovers will certainly get a kick out of this short but so will those not overly friendly with the animals. This films runs just under four-minutes and features around twelve dogs doing all sorts of jumping tricks but the highlight is when one dog plays dead while another, dressed as a nun, kneels down besides him and says a prayer.
