The Artist's Dilemma

19011901
2m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

220

YOUR RATING

Short Fantasy

The scene opens in an artist's studio, the artist asleep in his chair. A large old fashioned clock opens and a young lady comes out and awaking the artist, requests him to paint her picture.... Read allThe scene opens in an artist's studio, the artist asleep in his chair. A large old fashioned clock opens and a young lady comes out and awaking the artist, requests him to paint her picture. While the artist is executing the work a clown comes from the clock, takes in the situati... Read allThe scene opens in an artist's studio, the artist asleep in his chair. A large old fashioned clock opens and a young lady comes out and awaking the artist, requests him to paint her picture. While the artist is executing the work a clown comes from the clock, takes in the situation and begins to make love to the lady. The artist detects him and compels him to desist h... Read all

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

220

YOUR RATING

Director
- Edwin S. Porter

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Featured review

7/10

Funny and worth seeing after more than 100 years

This short film from Edison Films is very much a product of its time. The film is relatively short, as most films were in 1901 and the subject matter is very derivative of the work being done in France by Georges Méliès. Méliès was a magician who began making many cute little fantasy films--often involving the use of camera tricks such as stopping the camera and carefully restarting it to make it look like things or someone has disappeared. This film in so many ways looks exactly like one of the Méliès films except that the great French director isn't in this film (he played the lead in most of his films).

The film begins with a sleeping painter. A woman steps out of the grandmother clock and asks to be painted. A moment later, a clown also steps out of the clock, but instead of being painted, the clown takes the brush and magically paints the woman and the painting comes to life and the lady and her painted double do a little dance. It was marvelous entertainment for 1901, though today it is obvious how they did this. However, the film STILL provides a few laughs--especially when the artist tries to kiss the lady and she disappears and the clown appears in her place. It's all very cute and entertaining, but we have seen it before.

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