In this silent short from France, a fireman-having seen some naked girls at a theatre-goes to a bar and drinks himself in such a stupor, he starts imagining all the people he encounters as naked women, even his fellow workers! An exception is when he encounters Josephine Baker at a subway. She actually appears dancing in bra and hula skirt. There's lots of surrealistic images that wouldn't be out of place with the experimental films of the '60s. In summary, Le pompier des Folies Bergeres was an interesting and pretty entertaining short.
3 Reviews
Le pompier des Folies Bergeres is a silent French short with the legendary Josephine Baker
tavm3 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
incredible
francois-massarelli6 February 2006
Released on a French anthology DVD as part of the "Retour de Flamme" series, this is the most(Choose an adjective)film I have ever seen; anonymously directed, though a few people actually credit it to Luis Bunuel, the purpose of this short seems to be to provide advertisement of some sort for the Folies-Bergères theater, where in 1928 as in 2006 girls danced in the nude on stage; the fireman of the title is so excited by the spectacle that he mentally strips every woman he crosses path with, and sometimes even men: a priest, but also a full regiment(Hence the dubious Bunuel credit, no doubt); and the film is JUST THAT: endless, surreal, tasteless and blatant exposure of breasts and other body parts, with one small exception: Josephine Baker herself has the right to keep a bra on, as her image from a poster comes to life and spins the poor fireman's head a little further towards insanity.
Pointless & Rather Tasteless Feature, Of Some Historical Interest
Snow Leopard10 February 2006
This pointless and rather tasteless feature is at least of some historical interest, most particularly for the brief appearance of the very talented Josephine Baker, who was already quite well-known as a dancer at the time. It also contains a few brief special effects shots that stand out somewhat against the less interesting material. Otherwise, though, it's just not very good at all.
The simple story follows a fireman who, after a lengthy period of watching the scantily clad and unclad dancers at the Folies Bergères, does a little drinking and then starts seeing imaginary dancers everywhere. The actor portraying the fireman (who has wisely remained anonymous) plays the part in an inanely exaggerated fashion that gets old very quickly. Despite the rampant female nudity, it looks rundown rather than erotic, and most of it is surprisingly boring.
It says a lot for Baker's beauty and talent that, although she is one of the few women to appear clothed, her scene is far more alluring than any of the rest of it, and it is about the only part of the movie that is worth seeing. There are also a few brief moments of special camera effects designed to depict the fireman's intoxication, and they are solid enough for the time.
This is one of many movies from the era that demonstrate how, contrary to many misconceptions, the silent era saw many risqué and even explicit movies. But this is one such feature that hardly accomplishes anything, and for the most part it just shows that merely being explicit does not, in itself, prevent a movie from being pretty dull.
The simple story follows a fireman who, after a lengthy period of watching the scantily clad and unclad dancers at the Folies Bergères, does a little drinking and then starts seeing imaginary dancers everywhere. The actor portraying the fireman (who has wisely remained anonymous) plays the part in an inanely exaggerated fashion that gets old very quickly. Despite the rampant female nudity, it looks rundown rather than erotic, and most of it is surprisingly boring.
It says a lot for Baker's beauty and talent that, although she is one of the few women to appear clothed, her scene is far more alluring than any of the rest of it, and it is about the only part of the movie that is worth seeing. There are also a few brief moments of special camera effects designed to depict the fireman's intoxication, and they are solid enough for the time.
This is one of many movies from the era that demonstrate how, contrary to many misconceptions, the silent era saw many risqué and even explicit movies. But this is one such feature that hardly accomplishes anything, and for the most part it just shows that merely being explicit does not, in itself, prevent a movie from being pretty dull.
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