Félicien Trewey puts on a hat, which he proceeds to reshape and assume a variety of characters.
Trewey was one of those performers who could serve as a tumbler or contortionist as the event called for. Wikipedia calls him, among his other talents, a "chapeaugraphist" and I guess that word covers what he does here. I would like to have a chance to see Le Petomane perform his act, but that would be pointless without sound, so this is a good substitute.
What interesting about this movie from a cinematic viewpoint is that it is shot in medium close-up. Take a look at most of the movies of other stage performers of the era, and you will discover they are invariably shot in medium long takes, to show off the performer's entire body. This makes sense when you are shooting a dancer; for a performer like M. Trewey, this novelty is better. George A. Smith would make several movies a few years after to investigate the uses of this take, but here's an early example.
Trewey was one of those performers who could serve as a tumbler or contortionist as the event called for. Wikipedia calls him, among his other talents, a "chapeaugraphist" and I guess that word covers what he does here. I would like to have a chance to see Le Petomane perform his act, but that would be pointless without sound, so this is a good substitute.
What interesting about this movie from a cinematic viewpoint is that it is shot in medium close-up. Take a look at most of the movies of other stage performers of the era, and you will discover they are invariably shot in medium long takes, to show off the performer's entire body. This makes sense when you are shooting a dancer; for a performer like M. Trewey, this novelty is better. George A. Smith would make several movies a few years after to investigate the uses of this take, but here's an early example.
