The alleged robber opens a odd-looking storage locker on a tenement roof in a big city and starts pulling out clothes (like a coat and work-shirt). A lady who is working on her laundry comes up from behind and grabs his ankle; her fellow crone arrives an instant later and whacks his back with a broom, while a third woman stands in reserve to the left. Meanwhile, a guy sneaks around the storage locker from the right and is quickly decked by the alleged wrong-doer. A second and third man show up from nowhere and a general me-lee ensues. Amid this mayhem a policeman shows up from the right, but merely looks on as the broom lady starts whacking the first guy again (maybe he's her husband, trying to find her secret hiding place for "pin money" and booze?). At any rate, this is the point at which the director ran out of film, forcing the audience to come to its own interpretation, as was generally the case with these Edison flicks from the 1800s. For those tired of endless fire runs, this probably was a nice change of pace in those days.
5 Reviews
The Burglar on the Roof review
JoeytheBrit22 April 2020
Not Bad
Snow Leopard5 July 2005
This short feature is reasonably entertaining, and its not bad for being one of the earlier efforts at telling a fictional story on film. While the story is simple, and the actors are clearly enthusiastic amateurs, the setting works all right, and it has plenty of energy to it.
The story shows a succession of passers-by who take on "The Burglar On the Roof", with varying degrees of effectiveness. It seems to be played for laughs rather than for suspense, and there are a couple of amusing moments during the skirmish.
By the standards of short features made 5-10 years later, this one would not be very impressive, but at the time it was made, there was very little experience to draw from for those who wanted to make even the simplest of narrative movies. If nothing else, this one has a place in history as a pioneering effort.
The story shows a succession of passers-by who take on "The Burglar On the Roof", with varying degrees of effectiveness. It seems to be played for laughs rather than for suspense, and there are a couple of amusing moments during the skirmish.
By the standards of short features made 5-10 years later, this one would not be very impressive, but at the time it was made, there was very little experience to draw from for those who wanted to make even the simplest of narrative movies. If nothing else, this one has a place in history as a pioneering effort.
Before the Chase
boblipton6 September 2018
There's a burglar on the roof, lifting things through the skylight. Two women begin beating him with brooms, then a man comes and begins to attack him.
This Edison short is attributed to Blackton. There's another movie by the same title that was released by Vitagraph two months earlier. A common method of "remaking" a film before the production companies began placing their logos in the scenery, making them trademarked -- they would not be copyrightable until the laws were changed about a decade and a half later -- was to buy a print, then simply copy it.
This movie cries out for a chase sequence, but the immobile camera and lack of editing made that impossible at this stage of the movies. All action had to take place within the carefully delineated frame of the camera.
This Edison short is attributed to Blackton. There's another movie by the same title that was released by Vitagraph two months earlier. A common method of "remaking" a film before the production companies began placing their logos in the scenery, making them trademarked -- they would not be copyrightable until the laws were changed about a decade and a half later -- was to buy a print, then simply copy it.
This movie cries out for a chase sequence, but the immobile camera and lack of editing made that impossible at this stage of the movies. All action had to take place within the carefully delineated frame of the camera.
Worth Watching
Michael_Elliott22 August 2016
The Burglar on the Roof (1898)
Here early film from Edison has a pretty simple story. As the title states, there's a burglar on the roof but before he can steal anything of value he's beaten by some women with a broom and then some men show up to pound him some more. At just twenty-five seconds there's obviously nothing too great here but it's a mildly entertaining film and I'm sure it had people laughing back in the day. The film certainly has a violent touch to it, which shows what people wanted to do to those who stole from them. If you're a fan of these early movies then this one here is certainly worth watching. This must have been quite popular as it was made again the following year but that version appears to be lost.
Here early film from Edison has a pretty simple story. As the title states, there's a burglar on the roof but before he can steal anything of value he's beaten by some women with a broom and then some men show up to pound him some more. At just twenty-five seconds there's obviously nothing too great here but it's a mildly entertaining film and I'm sure it had people laughing back in the day. The film certainly has a violent touch to it, which shows what people wanted to do to those who stole from them. If you're a fan of these early movies then this one here is certainly worth watching. This must have been quite popular as it was made again the following year but that version appears to be lost.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
