When this film debuted in 1904, it was a pretty typical film at only 4 minutes in length. Full-length films as we know of them today were still years ahead and many films were less than a minute long. A "long" one might be as long as eight or ten minutes in length.
In addition, so many of these short films were very derivative--with multiple studios making practically the same film. They called it "artistic license", but today it would most likely be seen as plagiarism! This wonderful film is actually one of these films, in that several very, very similar films were made involving a "dog factory" or "dog machine" before this film was made. One of the more famous versions was by the French genius, Georges Méliès. However, they say that "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery", and so this 1904 version is one of the more "sincere" films ever made (or so the producers might have told themselves!).
So despite its short length and it being not exactly a new idea, the film is marvelous fun. And unlike so many of the very early films, this one is incredibly funny and watchable even today. This cannot be said about many early films--which lack an interesting plot or have no plot whatsoever! The film is about two men who have a "dog factory"--where they drop dogs into a hopper and they come out as sausages! Now the movie does NOT go where you think--they are NOT to eat, but a convenient way to keep the dogs until an interested buyer approaches. Then, the sausages are put in the hopper, the handle is cranked and out pops a dog!!! This is terribly funny and well worth a look. I saw it on DVD, but it is also available on Google video. To see the film, go to www.google.com. Then type "dog factory" and then ENTER. Then, from the menu above, click VIDEO and it will display the film for viewing on Windows.
In addition, so many of these short films were very derivative--with multiple studios making practically the same film. They called it "artistic license", but today it would most likely be seen as plagiarism! This wonderful film is actually one of these films, in that several very, very similar films were made involving a "dog factory" or "dog machine" before this film was made. One of the more famous versions was by the French genius, Georges Méliès. However, they say that "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery", and so this 1904 version is one of the more "sincere" films ever made (or so the producers might have told themselves!).
So despite its short length and it being not exactly a new idea, the film is marvelous fun. And unlike so many of the very early films, this one is incredibly funny and watchable even today. This cannot be said about many early films--which lack an interesting plot or have no plot whatsoever! The film is about two men who have a "dog factory"--where they drop dogs into a hopper and they come out as sausages! Now the movie does NOT go where you think--they are NOT to eat, but a convenient way to keep the dogs until an interested buyer approaches. Then, the sausages are put in the hopper, the handle is cranked and out pops a dog!!! This is terribly funny and well worth a look. I saw it on DVD, but it is also available on Google video. To see the film, go to www.google.com. Then type "dog factory" and then ENTER. Then, from the menu above, click VIDEO and it will display the film for viewing on Windows.