Let Me Dream Again (1900)

A man dreams he is flirting with an attractive young lady, then he wakes up in bed next to his wife.

Director:

George Albert Smith

Stars:

Laura Bayley, Tom Green

Cast

Credited cast:
Laura Bayley	...	Young woman (as Mrs. George Albert Smith)
Tom Green	...	Man

Storyline

A man and woman festively dressed in costumes are dreaming. They wake to drink, play, and smoke. He snuggles her; she's happily willing. Suddenly, the scene ends and he's but a homely man in a loveless bed with a homely woman - husband and wife.

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Plot Keywords:

bed | flirting | dream sequence | husband wife relationship

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Release Date:

August 1900 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hagyj újra álmodni!

Filming Locations:

Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Albert Smith Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

1 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Possibly the first use of the camera technique of "focus pulling, in which an image (the man shown kissing a beautiful woman) blurs and dissolves into a clear image (the man shown kissing his less-attractive wife), which is meant to show someone experiencing a dream or fantasy, then being brought about to reality.

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Connections

Remade as Rêve et réalité (1901)

User Reviews

Creative For Its Time; Still Worth Seeing Despite Lack of Polish

With an idea that was creative for its time, and a theme that still retains some interest, "Let Me Dream Again" is still worth seeing despite its unpolished look. It was one of the very earliest attempts to film a story that compared dream and reality, and while there are later imitations of the story with a more refined technique, this is the one that should probably get the credit for the basic idea.

The comparison between the man's dream and the reality of his life certainly makes a comic point, but at the same time, it suggests some more general ideas about what people want their lives to be. The man in the story does not come across as an interesting person in himself, and the story itself is quite rudimentary - yet in watching the main character, you're not quite sure whether to respond with pity, scorn, laughter, or some of all three.

While very simple, these very old, very short features often handle these kinds of themes in an economical fashion that contrasts well with the excessive approach that has become all too common in the 21st century.