The comedy within this simple little film from Alice Guy's Solax studio is to be found in the comical way in which those who overhear the playing of the cadaverous man on the piano of the title choose to dance. It's mostly the men who are the funniest: one portly chap skips around with his arms in the air, his hands flapping comically, another shuffles along, his pelvis jutting as if jerked by a lasso. The women aren't quite so expressive. The film perhaps goes on a little too long (even though it's running time is only about five minutes), but it is quite amusing to watch. The film can be found on the internet, and is worth seeking out by those looking for something a little different.
4 Reviews
Silly fun.
planktonrules5 February 2010
A guy is seen moving into an apartment. Soon he begins playing the piano and bothering everyone with the noise. His neighbors, one by one, begin to dance to the tune and can't stop. Eventually, many of them make their way to the apartment to try to make him stop playing, but when the get closer, they cannot stop themselves from dancing. When he eventually tires and tries to stop, the folks force him to continue. That's really all there is to this Alice Guy film.
It's a moderately funny film and is only a couple minutes long (like most short films of the day), but not one you need to rush to see--after all, it's been waiting 103 years to be seen, so what's a little wait?!
It's a moderately funny film and is only a couple minutes long (like most short films of the day), but not one you need to rush to see--after all, it's been waiting 103 years to be seen, so what's a little wait?!
Everybody Dance!
boblipton10 July 2020
A man moves into an apartment. As soon as his piano is set in place, he sits down to begin playing.... and everyone dances to its irresistible strains, just like the title says.
There were other movies which did the similar things, like Maurice Chevalier's early short LA VALSE A LA MODE, or. Louis Feuillade's LA BOUS-BOUS-MIE. It was a chance for the movie accompaniment, sometimes just a single piano in the smallest theaters, to strut their stuff. The music played during the earliest film showings was meant to hide the sound of the noisy projector. Soon enough, it was realized the music could aid the mood of the movie. Movies like these were a chance for the musician to show off some chops.
There were other movies which did the similar things, like Maurice Chevalier's early short LA VALSE A LA MODE, or. Louis Feuillade's LA BOUS-BOUS-MIE. It was a chance for the movie accompaniment, sometimes just a single piano in the smallest theaters, to strut their stuff. The music played during the earliest film showings was meant to hide the sound of the noisy projector. Soon enough, it was realized the music could aid the mood of the movie. Movies like these were a chance for the musician to show off some chops.
Contagious Dancing
Cineanalyst9 April 2020
Here's another formula that worked well in early cinema to exploit the development of continuity editing, whereby characters are comically influenced to mimic the behavior of others. The chase films, one of the most popular genres of the day, tend to work in the same way. Another film similar to this one, "The Irresistible Piano," that I've seen recently and that's also from 1907 is "Laughing Gas." There, all of the characters ended up laughing hysterically. Here, they all dance in response to the playing of piano music. There's also some crosscutting in this one's nine shots, between the piano player and his increasingly-populated party and the people in other spaces responding to the music and, inevitably, gravitating towards the impromptu party in his room. Also, unlike "Laughing Gas," for which the laughter is hardly contagious for the spectator, with the right score, the dancing in "The Irresistible Piano" is delightful.
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