Amusing little fantasy about a man who buys an artificial arm and discovers it picks everyone's pocket. Blackton was a leading exponent of trick shots in early American films -- like Melies, he had been a stage magician, and the stop-motion effects are slickly done.
8 Reviews
Amputees beware
ackstasis12 September 2008
When it came to "trick films" of the early 1900s, Frenchman Georges Méliès was the clear forerunner, not only for his two major masterpieces {'A Trip to the Moon (1902)' and 'The Impossible Voyage (1904)'}, but also his huge catalogue of minor gimmick shorts, a cinematic extension of his stage magician acts. On the other side of the Atlantic, director Stuart J. Blackton must surely have been the American equivalent, most notable for producing perhaps the first ever animated cartoon {see 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)' or perhaps even 'The Enchanted Drawing (1900)'}. 'The Thieving Hand (1908)' is impressive because, above all else, it is most concerned with its story, something akin to what Chaplin would be doing a few years later, and tries carefully to keep the camera tricks mostly substitution cuts as inconspicuous as possible. The film has recently been restored from its only surviving copy, and is accessible on the excellent "Treasures from the American Film Archives" DVD, albeit minus the final seconds, which are believed lost.
When a one-armed street-peddler graciously returns a lost ring to a grateful philanthropist, he unwittingly discovers that every blessing is a disaster in disguise. The man is rewarded with an expensive mechanical arm from the local "limb store," but it doesn't take long for him to realise that this new appendage has been programmed with a life of its own. As the peddler honestly goes about his daily business, his left hand discreetly pick-pockets every passer-by, eventually getting him in trouble with the authorities. It is only after he is thrown into a jail cell that the criminal hand reveals its origin, and the reason for its unlawful habit. All this surreal craziness is played out with a surprisingly straight face, as though it's not entirely unusual to see a dismembered arm scooting purposefully across the floor (this particular effect was achieved with wires). A successful attempt to blend a comic narrative with early visual effects, 'The Thieving Hand' is a very enjoyable five minute interlude it also foreshadows Dr. Strangelove's maniacal Nazi arm.
When a one-armed street-peddler graciously returns a lost ring to a grateful philanthropist, he unwittingly discovers that every blessing is a disaster in disguise. The man is rewarded with an expensive mechanical arm from the local "limb store," but it doesn't take long for him to realise that this new appendage has been programmed with a life of its own. As the peddler honestly goes about his daily business, his left hand discreetly pick-pockets every passer-by, eventually getting him in trouble with the authorities. It is only after he is thrown into a jail cell that the criminal hand reveals its origin, and the reason for its unlawful habit. All this surreal craziness is played out with a surprisingly straight face, as though it's not entirely unusual to see a dismembered arm scooting purposefully across the floor (this particular effect was achieved with wires). A successful attempt to blend a comic narrative with early visual effects, 'The Thieving Hand' is a very enjoyable five minute interlude it also foreshadows Dr. Strangelove's maniacal Nazi arm.
False Limbs
JoeytheBrit8 August 2010
The idea behind this film - the idea of a false limb developing a mind of its own and carrying out evil deeds against the wishes of its new owner was something that the horror genre would later embrace, but back in 1908 it was played strictly for laughs.
The effects are OK for the period, but are nothing groundbreaking, and the film shows both how far the cinema had progressed since its very early days and how its technical limitations still prevented it from delivering an experience that would still interest an audience today. There were many filmmaking techniques which are commonplace today that were still to be developed back in 1908.
The effects are OK for the period, but are nothing groundbreaking, and the film shows both how far the cinema had progressed since its very early days and how its technical limitations still prevented it from delivering an experience that would still interest an audience today. There were many filmmaking techniques which are commonplace today that were still to be developed back in 1908.
Offbeat, Funny, & Imaginative
Snow Leopard30 August 2005
This offbeat fantasy feature is both funny and imaginative, combining a surreal story idea with some down-to-earth slapstick gags. It also features a pretty good range of special camera effects, and most of them work well. In the first decade of the 1900s, many film-makers strove to come up with off-the-wall ideas to give extra life to their comedies, and this is one of the better examples of its kind.
The story starts with a one-armed street peddler who earns the gratitude of a rich passer-by. To show his gratitude, the rich man takes him to a store that sells limbs, and from then on the story is amusingly bizarre. The poor man's new arm quickly displays a will of its own, leading to some entertaining situations. The closing gag is, by that time, somewhat predictable, but it is funny, and it works in rounding off the story neatly.
The special effects of "The Thieving Hand" in action seem to be relatively straightforward in terms of technique, but most of them are convincing and fun to watch. The camera tricks and the wacky nature of the story both make this short comedy an enjoyable one.
The story starts with a one-armed street peddler who earns the gratitude of a rich passer-by. To show his gratitude, the rich man takes him to a store that sells limbs, and from then on the story is amusingly bizarre. The poor man's new arm quickly displays a will of its own, leading to some entertaining situations. The closing gag is, by that time, somewhat predictable, but it is funny, and it works in rounding off the story neatly.
The special effects of "The Thieving Hand" in action seem to be relatively straightforward in terms of technique, but most of them are convincing and fun to watch. The camera tricks and the wacky nature of the story both make this short comedy an enjoyable one.
Awfully good for 1908
planktonrules24 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This short film (actually, in its day it was feature-length) is very unusual in that even today--almost 100 years later--the film is STILL pretty funny and watchable. I have seen several hundred films from this era and so many of them have exceptionally simple and mundane plots, so it's really nice to see one that rises above the rest. Interestingly enough, this five minute film is actually funnier than most of the Sennett (Keystone Studios) films made in the following decade.
The film starts with a one-armed beggar finding a rich guy's wallet. Since he's an honest man, he returns the wallet. The rich guy is so impressed that he takes the beggar to a shop to buy him the latest and most functional prosthetic arm. It can actually move and function much like a real arm but with one glaring exception! The arm has a thieving mind of its own and steals everything in the most amazingly deft and funny fashion. It's really funny to see the honest beggar trying to stop this evil arm! Ultimately, though, he's accused of stealing and sent to jail. There, the thieving are continues on its original ways in a very cute conclusion.
Since this film is so imaginative and interesting (not to mention funny), it's well worth a look even today.
The film starts with a one-armed beggar finding a rich guy's wallet. Since he's an honest man, he returns the wallet. The rich guy is so impressed that he takes the beggar to a shop to buy him the latest and most functional prosthetic arm. It can actually move and function much like a real arm but with one glaring exception! The arm has a thieving mind of its own and steals everything in the most amazingly deft and funny fashion. It's really funny to see the honest beggar trying to stop this evil arm! Ultimately, though, he's accused of stealing and sent to jail. There, the thieving are continues on its original ways in a very cute conclusion.
Since this film is so imaginative and interesting (not to mention funny), it's well worth a look even today.
Brilliantly innovative and imaginative short with a lot of heart
honorfilms19 July 2002
This charming and very amusing short film from 1908 surpasses many short films of today in its imagination and execution. The special effects, although nowhere near as slick as today add charm to a short film that succeeds in telling a visual story that may well not have worked so well if there was dialogue.
Strange and Surreal
Polaris_DiB14 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
A kindly man helps a one-armed street pauper by buying him an artificial limb. The limb goes out of the pauper's control as it steals everything in sight. This gets the pauper arrested, and when he's sent to jail he meets a one-armed thief who his happy to get his arm back.
Does a limb contain vestiges of the mind from the body it came from? This movie was done well before several things we have today like transplants and stem-cell things, but that just makes it creepier. Why, for instance, would that arm be there? How did it get separated from its owner? This is not a film to make sense, but to be fascinated by.
Overall, it uses stop-motion animation and double-exposures brilliantly, and the acting is even more brilliant (when the man is using his arm to steal stuff while the rest of his body continues to beg). It's certainly well-done, it just isn't really meant to make much sense.
--PolarisDiB
Does a limb contain vestiges of the mind from the body it came from? This movie was done well before several things we have today like transplants and stem-cell things, but that just makes it creepier. Why, for instance, would that arm be there? How did it get separated from its owner? This is not a film to make sense, but to be fascinated by.
Overall, it uses stop-motion animation and double-exposures brilliantly, and the acting is even more brilliant (when the man is using his arm to steal stuff while the rest of his body continues to beg). It's certainly well-done, it just isn't really meant to make much sense.
--PolarisDiB
2 Interesting Shorts
Michael_Elliott28 February 2008
Thieving Hand, The (1908)
** (out of 4)
Very interesting, if not totally successful comedy about a one-armed man who buys a fake arm, which turns out to have a life of its own. The special effects and set design are terrific in this short and pretty much ahead of their time but the "laughs" just never come due to some timid direction.
Impossible Convicts (1905)
*** (out of 4)
Interesting short about four convicts who try to escape from jail. The technique used here is that the film was shot in a few takes with the action-taking place backwards. This makes for some nice scenes as well as a unique feel.
** (out of 4)
Very interesting, if not totally successful comedy about a one-armed man who buys a fake arm, which turns out to have a life of its own. The special effects and set design are terrific in this short and pretty much ahead of their time but the "laughs" just never come due to some timid direction.
Impossible Convicts (1905)
*** (out of 4)
Interesting short about four convicts who try to escape from jail. The technique used here is that the film was shot in a few takes with the action-taking place backwards. This makes for some nice scenes as well as a unique feel.
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