This short is very creepy, which is par for the course for Thomas Edison's globe-trotting henchmen as they tried to create a world-wide entertainment monopoly which would encompass reading light, music, and movies, among other things. Since the titular primate is a dead ringer for one of the flying monkeys from the 1939 flick WIZARD OF OZ, it is possible the 90.4 seconds of this offering accomplished one thing by inspiring the costume designer of the later film classic. However, the added touch of a goat perched precariously on a tripod in the background of this scene is enough to creep out the bravest of hearts. Why is the goat there? Why does he seem so frightened? Has he seen the previous Edison entertainment offering, ELECTROCUTING AN ELEPHANT? If so, his apprehension is understandable, as he doubtless feels he'll be the next to get burned alive as cameras roll and spectators cheer, drooling to wash down their Dumbo dogs with goat-on-a-stick. In the last few frames of EGYP+IAN FAKIR WITH DANCING MONKEY, the goat suddenly is replaced by a chunky local, with the same facial expression as the python who swallowed an alligator!
2 Reviews
A Curio That May Have Looked More Exotic In Its Time
Snow Leopard21 November 2005
This is now a curio of the early 1900s that is only of interest for its curiosity value, but in its day it might have looked rather exotic to its first audiences. It was one of a fairly large number of movies taken by an Edison Company film crew on a trip through the Mediterranean regions in the spring of 1903 (most of these seem now to be lost). No doubt many of these features offered American audiences the first genuine sights of the world overseas, and so they may have served a purpose in that respect.
The footage features a monkey who dances and does other tricks at the prompting of its trainer. The monkey wears a strange-looking costume, and another odd sight is the goat in the background, who balances himself on some sort of tripod all the while that the monkey is doing his act.
This kind of movie no longer really has much to offer in itself, but it serves as a sample of its era in cinema history. One of the earliest uses of movies was to show audiences footage of things that they would be unlikely ever to see first-hand.
The footage features a monkey who dances and does other tricks at the prompting of its trainer. The monkey wears a strange-looking costume, and another odd sight is the goat in the background, who balances himself on some sort of tripod all the while that the monkey is doing his act.
This kind of movie no longer really has much to offer in itself, but it serves as a sample of its era in cinema history. One of the earliest uses of movies was to show audiences footage of things that they would be unlikely ever to see first-hand.
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