Boy, were serpentine dances popular! In the 1890s, when the first films were exhibited, it was all the rage. Many of these dances were hand-colored, making beautiful pieces of cinema that still are good to look at today. But, considering as that was the 1890s, you'd expect a bit more out of this film from 13 years later.
Indeed, instead of just a simple serpentine dance, there is a story. It's pretty odd. A violinist plays for some noblemen and ladies so they can dance, but another guy--who is actually Satan--has other ideas about dancing. He takes the violinist to a laboratory where they pour liquid into a big cauldron (and they cut to a medium closeup here, which sticks out). The result--a serpentine dancer who performs the dance--along with several other women--for the last couple minutes.
Segundo de Chomón, the maker of this short, had before filmed the serpentine dancer Loie Fuller 8 years before, in a short trick film where a bat turns into Fuller. Instead of making the dance the subject, this time he instead uses the idea to tell a story. The result is a somewhat interesting, if not excellent, short film (due to at least almost half of it being the dancing bit). I suppose if you enjoyed the earlier serpentine dance movies, you'll want to watch this one. Otherwise, it won't look especially great to your average movie-watcher of today.
(Note: IMDb says Max Linder, a pre-Chaplin comedian, played the dance teacher, but I'm not sure that's right. Why would Linder appear in a film he hadn't directed?). (Another Note: The complete film is available on YouTube in a black & white print. A 2-minute fragment which boasts some beautiful hand-color work which can be viewed on Vimeo).
Indeed, instead of just a simple serpentine dance, there is a story. It's pretty odd. A violinist plays for some noblemen and ladies so they can dance, but another guy--who is actually Satan--has other ideas about dancing. He takes the violinist to a laboratory where they pour liquid into a big cauldron (and they cut to a medium closeup here, which sticks out). The result--a serpentine dancer who performs the dance--along with several other women--for the last couple minutes.
Segundo de Chomón, the maker of this short, had before filmed the serpentine dancer Loie Fuller 8 years before, in a short trick film where a bat turns into Fuller. Instead of making the dance the subject, this time he instead uses the idea to tell a story. The result is a somewhat interesting, if not excellent, short film (due to at least almost half of it being the dancing bit). I suppose if you enjoyed the earlier serpentine dance movies, you'll want to watch this one. Otherwise, it won't look especially great to your average movie-watcher of today.
(Note: IMDb says Max Linder, a pre-Chaplin comedian, played the dance teacher, but I'm not sure that's right. Why would Linder appear in a film he hadn't directed?). (Another Note: The complete film is available on YouTube in a black & white print. A 2-minute fragment which boasts some beautiful hand-color work which can be viewed on Vimeo).