A very well-known early movie is 'The Kiss', filmed in 1896. Only a few seconds long, this consists of an actor and actress re-enacting a brief moment from the stage play 'The Widow Jones': specifically, the man brushes back his elaborate moustaches, and then he kisses her. Early moviegoers were fascinated by this bit of intimacy, enlarged on the kinetoscope screen. Not surprisingly, some bluenoses were quick to condemn 'The Kiss' as immoral.
Here we have something similar, with a more blatantly erotic content. This film, made in 1900, is less than a minute long. I viewed a print through the courtesy of a private collector who also possesses some publicity material from the American Mutoscope company, describing the action of this film. Apparently the stage play 'Naughty Anthony' had one scene that scandalised audiences in 1900. Not surprisingly, that scene is the one re-enacted here. Evidently, nickelodeon audiences in 1900 were familiar with 'Naughty Anthony' -- if only by reputation -- and didn't need a framing context for this brief footage. There are no inter titles; some of the following information comes from Mutoscope's publicity sheet.
The location appears to be some sort of salon, although it's rather obviously a stage set. Actress Blanche Bates plays Cora, who models silk stockings. As portrayed by Bates, Cora would seem to be a bit of a trollop. She has just put on a new pair of stockings (from Paris!) and is gleefully demonstrating their fit to three women in Salvation Army capes and bonnets. The Sally Amy women are absolutely scandalised as Cora lifts her skirt and petticoat above her knees, demonstrating a shapely gam. Suddenly, into the room comes Anthony Depew (actor Frank Worthing), a self-appointed evangelist without dog-collar. He sees Cora baring her sinful flesh, and he is outraged. She adjusts her clothing as he begins to berate her.
That's it. End of film. I can see why audiences in 1900 would get worked up by this, although by 21st-century standards it's all very coy. Blanche Bates, corseted and apparently bustled, displays a figure that would have looked good on the cover of the 'Police Gazette' but which is a bit too zaftig for modern viewers. One might insist that the action in 'The Kiss' is perfectly innocent, but the content of this 'Naughty Anthony' excerpt is unquestionably meant to be sexual. Yet it's also misogynistic. The shocked reaction of the Salvation Army lassies seems to indicate that the female body is so obscene that it must remain covered at all times, never even shown to other women. Still, for its historic value, I'll rate this snippet of celluloid 10 points out of 10.
Here we have something similar, with a more blatantly erotic content. This film, made in 1900, is less than a minute long. I viewed a print through the courtesy of a private collector who also possesses some publicity material from the American Mutoscope company, describing the action of this film. Apparently the stage play 'Naughty Anthony' had one scene that scandalised audiences in 1900. Not surprisingly, that scene is the one re-enacted here. Evidently, nickelodeon audiences in 1900 were familiar with 'Naughty Anthony' -- if only by reputation -- and didn't need a framing context for this brief footage. There are no inter titles; some of the following information comes from Mutoscope's publicity sheet.
The location appears to be some sort of salon, although it's rather obviously a stage set. Actress Blanche Bates plays Cora, who models silk stockings. As portrayed by Bates, Cora would seem to be a bit of a trollop. She has just put on a new pair of stockings (from Paris!) and is gleefully demonstrating their fit to three women in Salvation Army capes and bonnets. The Sally Amy women are absolutely scandalised as Cora lifts her skirt and petticoat above her knees, demonstrating a shapely gam. Suddenly, into the room comes Anthony Depew (actor Frank Worthing), a self-appointed evangelist without dog-collar. He sees Cora baring her sinful flesh, and he is outraged. She adjusts her clothing as he begins to berate her.
That's it. End of film. I can see why audiences in 1900 would get worked up by this, although by 21st-century standards it's all very coy. Blanche Bates, corseted and apparently bustled, displays a figure that would have looked good on the cover of the 'Police Gazette' but which is a bit too zaftig for modern viewers. One might insist that the action in 'The Kiss' is perfectly innocent, but the content of this 'Naughty Anthony' excerpt is unquestionably meant to be sexual. Yet it's also misogynistic. The shocked reaction of the Salvation Army lassies seems to indicate that the female body is so obscene that it must remain covered at all times, never even shown to other women. Still, for its historic value, I'll rate this snippet of celluloid 10 points out of 10.
