User Reviews

A sad, unique tale of the unrequited love of a dwarf playwright for the leading lady of his latest work, who is unaware of his identity but highly intrigued by the daily amorous phone calls she receives from him. The poignancy for which director Louis Feuillade is clearly striving is tempered somewhat by the slightly unnerving relationship the dwarf (played very well by Delphin) has with his mother (grown men really shouldn't climb upon their mother's lap for comfort, no matter how small they might be).

Louis Feuillade strikes again in one of his earlier works (pre-"Fantomas"), this time telling the story of a dwarf who is a "grand poet". Take that for what it is worth.

Now, I am not sure what to make of this film. Heck, I am not even sure if the dwarf is really a dwarf (he sort of looks like a child). But yet, for a mere 17 minutes, you will find yourself enthralled, or at the very least more than just a tad interesting.

Feuillade was a genius. I feel like he is not as well known as Murnau, or even other early French innovators. This is a shame, and I hope to see more of Feuillade's work in the years to come.

Dwarf, The (1917)

*** (out of 4)

The term melodrama was certainly made for a movie like this but it's still an interesting little gem. A manuscript is mysteriously delivered to a playhouse where it is eventually turned into a major hit with critics calling it a masterpiece. The only problem is that no one knows who wrote it. The actress of the play receives a call from the author and the two quickly becomes friends but the man won't give any details about himself because he doesn't want her to know that he's actually a dwarf. This leads up to the woman getting his address and stopping by to pay a visit. This is one of the most bizarre shorts I've seen and I must admit that I'm still not certain what director Feuillade was going for. I won't ruin the ending but I can't help but think it was a little over-the-top but it's hard to go into detail without spoiling it. I'm not sure if the directors was trying to say anything or if he thought this was just the right way to end the film but either way it's certainly strange. I thought the story was rather unique and Feuillade tells it in such a way that you can't help but get caught up in it. I thought the two leads did a pretty good job with the characters. Another plus was the pacing which had the film going by pretty quickly and without any slow moments. There's not much visual style as once again Feuillade tells everything with mostly medium shots and not too much editing.