Goodbye Mr. Chips - Part 1, The 1939 movie

I'm not saying goodbye to my favorite chips brand today, but will be talking about one of my favorite movies.
You know how I sometimes say I'm fascinated by something and don't know why? One of these things are British boarding schools. It surely started with Enid Blyton's St. Clare's books, in German "Hanni und Nanni" (and, though not British, Oliver Hassencamp's books about "Burg Schreckenstein" which will be a topic for another post).
Boarding schools were (and are?) a quite foreign concept to most German children and being served romanticized stories about them only increased the fascination which for me never went away completely.
In Germany, we don't even have the tradition of wearing school uniforms. There are few schools that have tried to introduce mandatory "school clothing" - meaning there's a collection to choose from, not everyone has to wear the same uniform - but it hasn't caught on. I remember that we even talked about pros and cons in English class 50 years ago.
And still I have a weird soft spot for British school stories that I can't seem to turn off. Show me a cap and gown and chances are I'll have a look.

One of them is "Goodbye Mr. Chips". Before I read the original novella, I knew the movie from 1939 with Robert Donat which is why I want to talk about it first.
Here's its plot.

For the first time in 58 years, retired school master Charles Edward Chipping misses the first day assembly at Brookfield, a public school with a 400 year old history, and gets locked out together with a new pupil.

Back home, he falls asleep and his dreams take him back to when came to the school as new master.
He remembers his first time of taking lower school for preparation and failing miserably at standing up to the pupils' pranks. He reacts by enforcing strict discipline and by unpopular punishments - such as keeping the class in and thus preventing the best cricketeer from playing in an important cup match - which earns him the respect, but not the love of the pupils.
After 20 years, he's senior master but still doesn't get the coveted post of housemaster.

Things change when the German teacher Max Staefel invites him to join him on a walking tour in Austria.
On a mountain hike, Chipping meets the young Kathy Ellis with whom he gets trapped in the mist. Although Kathy has modern feminist ideas like riding a bicycle and wanting the vote, they get along great.

Later, Chipping and Staefel meet Kathy and her friend again in Vienna and spend a happy time together. When they say farewell at the train, Kathy kisses Chipping and they return to Brookfield as a married couple.
Kathy teaches Chips as she calls him now how to gain the pupils' love and trust. She introduces tea invitations and everyone adores her. Thanks to her, Chips even becomes housemaster.
Unfortunately, they are not married for long when Kathy and their baby die during birth and Chips is devastated. He dedicates his whole life to the school again, the way Kathy would have wanted him to, and when the new headmaster urges him to retire as he has become too old-fashioned for the school, he refuses and the governors, some of which have been taught by him, also won't let it happen.

After he has retired, World War I breaks out and as many of the teachers join up including the headmaster, Chips is asked to come back and take the headmastership for as long as needed.
Even during an air raid, he manages to keep the pupils busy to distract them from the danger.
One of his sad duties is to read out the lists of former pupils who have died in the war. Once, he also mentions the death of his old friend Max who had returned back to Austria some years before the war. The boys are surprised to hear him speak about an enemy, but as one of them says, Chips has a lot of funny ideas like that.

The old man stays close to the school all his life.
In the end, he's bed-ridden and he hears the headmaster and doctor talk. The doctor says how lonely he must have been and the headmaster tells him that Chips used to be married once.

When Chips hears the doctor saying what a pity it is he never had children, he replies: "I thought I heard you say it was a pity - pity I never had any children. But you're wrong. I have! Thousands of them, thousands of them ... and all ... boys.".
And before his eyes, the last thing he sees is the queue of boys in call over and then Peter Colley - there were generations of Colleys at Brookfield - saying "Goodbye Mr. Chips."

I know that just from reading about it the movie may seem sappy and sentimental, and yes, maybe it is a little, and yes, maybe it romanticizes the image of public schools for privileged boys as a "special community".
I think it's thanks to Robert Donat being so fantastic in this role - which is still one of his most popular ones - that it really is more heartwarming than sappy, though (a young modern audience might think differently, then again maybe not as there seem to be those who discover classic movies on their own, maybe as a bit of escapism sometimes?).
Seeing the school through Chipping's eyes - as stubbornly traditional as that may be sometimes - and not from the outside prevents the movie from slipping into mere sentimentalism. You may not agree with him on everything, but you understand how he grew to be like that.
Of course, you also can't forget that the movie is set in the years between 1870 and 1933. Can you imagine how different it would be, say, in the years between 1940 and 2003 with all the changes in technology?
In the film, Donat ages 63 years, and helped by the amazing makeup, he just does it perfectly - and won an Oscar for it.

I also liked the other actors, though, particularly in the story of Chips and Kathy (Greer Garson), but Donat really makes this movie.

To me, it's pure comfort food and it feels as if I have known Mr. Chips forever.
That is funny because according to a German page it wasn't dubbed in German and shown here on TV until 1998 (although the translated novella had been around much longer). It's not as if I didn't have one or the other occasion to see movies in English, but this one? I don't think so.
Anyhow, it must have hit a nerve with me right away. Why else would I have bought the book and the DVD and watched the movie regularly?

Now originally my plan had been to write about the novella the movie is based on and two more adaptations as well, but I might have lost you with a post that long. Instead they'll get a post of their own in a few days which you will be able to find here once it's live.

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 178

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

"Bzzzzzzz." Where did that come from? "Uhm, excuse me?" "Oh, there you are!"
Well, I certainly hadn't expected this. "Who are you?" "I'm Winnie-the-Pooh." "More like Winnie-the-Bee?"
It turns out that Winnie is celebrating his 100th birthday by dressing up as a bee. He dropped in because he had got a bit hungry. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a honey eater, but luckily there was a bit left in the glass in the back of the cupboard.
He had to use one of Gundel's fish embellished bowls, but he said he didn't mind.

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from an exhibition catalog for "The Sitwells and the Arts of the 20s and 30s", held at the National Portrait Gallery 1994/95.

Beginning: "An early law suit records that in 1301 Simon Sitwell was living at Ridgeway in the parish of Eckington, north-east Derbyshire. His descendants - first ironmasters, later coal owners, recently poets and authors - have lived in the area ever since."

Page 57 (page 56 is a portrait of Edith Sitwell): "For one of these [portraits] I wore a green evening dress, the colour of the leaves of lilies, and my appearance in this, in the full glare of the midsummer light of midday, in Fitzroy Square, together with the appearance of Mr Fry, his bushy, long grey hair floating from under an enormous black sombrero, caused great joy to the children of the district as we crossed from Mr Fry's studio to his house for luncheon."

You may remember that previous snippets were from a book saying that the dead actress "knew the Sitwells". Of course I had to see what that was about.

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Shelbee On the Edge.

Shelbee from Shelbee on the Edge says: "You are probably wondering who is this woman and what does she have to offer me. I do not put myself out there as an expert of any sort. I often wonder where people obtain their qualifications as experts, such as these self-proclaimed “parenting experts” and “marriage experts.”
Because, honestly, while my marriage is strong and my kids are healthy, I have to admit that I don’t really know what the hell I am doing in most areas of my life. But I wake up every day with a smile and I tackle the challenges that face me and every night I breathe a sigh of relief that we all have survived another day. I think what qualifies me to share the little information that I have acquired is simply my life experiences.
I can share what I learned along the way, what mistakes I have made, and what things I have done right. I feel that simply surviving some of trials that I have overcome obligates me to share this information with others in the event that it may make the ride a little bit easier for you."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Joanne is sharing her everyday images.

Jeanne has created another beautiful mosaic stepping stone.

Debbie tells you why to choose you if you have lost your spark.

Melynda prepares a roasted lemon and basil salad dressing.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - Eerie Tales

Today's film is sliiiightly longer than the last two and so is the post (sorry). We will stay in the Halloween spirit with it.
I just wanted to say that I didn't have one like it on my blog before, but then I remembered "Waxworks" - it's another anthology film, bonus point is it's also with Conrad Veidt (and Anita Berber and Reinhold Schünzel)!
Welcome to "Eerie Tales" from 1919 (the original title is "Unheimliche Geschichten" or "Grausige Nächte").

Here's the plot or really the plots as we have a frame story and five episodes within it.

We are in a used bookshop shortly before closing time.
There are three huge paintings on the walls, "The Devil", "The Harlot", and "Death".

As the shop owner has left, the three emerge from their frames and start reading.

1. "The Apparition" by Anselma Heine

Dr. Riedhammer walks through the park and helps a young woman who is assaulted by a man - her husband as she tells him later. They check into two rooms at a hotel. Although they feel attracted to another and kiss, he then leaves her alone as she isn't feeling well.

Riedhammer spends the evening with friends, but goes to the woman's room when he comes back.
He finds it completely empty, she is gone, all the furniture is gone. The wall looks like blood and as if the paper has been torn off it.

When he asks for her the next day, everyone tells him that he has checked in alone, and the room looks normal again, too. At the police where he also gets attacked by her husband, they also tell him that they are informed and that he has been alone.
He's beginning to doubt himself, but then he's told by an undertaker that she had been taken away secretly because she died of the plague that night ...

2. "The Hand" by Robert Liebmann

Two men are in love with a woman.

When she dances with another man, they get jealous, go home, and decide to roll the dice for the right to court her.
The loser can't bear it, though, and strangles the winner, then escapes after he has pried the dead man's hand from his sleeve.

Years later, he meets the woman again, she invites him to her first dance performance, but there he has hallucinations seeing his opponent. Then they invite him to a séance and the dead man comes back ...

3. "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe

A man is interested in a drunkard's wife. When the husband notices, he takes it out on his wife's beloved black cat, but doing so, he kills her instead and then walls her body up in the cellar.

The man hears rumors about the drunkard's wife having disappeared. He calls the police and they search the house. When they come to the cellar, they hear a strange wailing noise ...

4. "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson

A man joins a special club. You join the regular way, but you leave it only by death. Whoever draws the ace of spades, well, you know ... and unfortunately the new member is the "lucky winner".

The president locks him in his chair by pushing a button (don't ask me how that works) and tells him that he will die at midnight. Then he unlocks the chair and leaves the panicking man behind going through a passage in the clock.

And then the man dies, killed by the fear. Or does he?

5. "The Specter" by Richard Oswald

A cavalier has an accident with his carriage and is taken to a castle where he immediately starts flirting with the owner's neglected wife.

Then the husband has a plan ...

The bookshop owner comes back, shocked to find the three in his shop. He fetches the police and is relieved to see the them back in their paintings. When the policemen are gone, however, they come back to life and he runs off.

Let's have a look at the stories behind the stories now.

Anselma Heine was a German writer.
Her novella "Die Erscheinung" from 1912 has a lot of atmosphere and explores the Dr. Riedhammer's feelings when he first sees Johne Stevens in a cloud of dust looking like an apparition, then meets her on his ship slowly growing closer to her, and then his shock when Johne suddenly disappears. I was glad to find it online and really liked it.
As we have three leads, that episode adds the strange husband, who is just mentioned in the novella, and also leaves out the backstory.
In my opinion, it's the strongest and eeriest story of the five.

Robert Liebmann was one of the most successful scriptwriters in the Weimar Republic.
The story is a classic, a guilt-stricken man being haunted by his victim, but not before he meets the woman again who was the reason for his crime. Also, he's not the only who can see him.
A special treat is that Berber actually has a short dance scene in this episode. You may (or not) know, for example through the famous painting of hers by Otto Dix, that she was an icon in the Berlin clubs as a dancer and known for the scandals in her short life.

I don't think I have to say anything about Edgar Allan Poe.
Knowing the story, I was wary about watching this episode (while the animal abuse was toned down and no cat was killed, I still wasn't happy at all about the way the drunk husband treated the black cat in one scene).
We have another triangle to allow for the three actors.
The ending could have been more dramatic, but I thought it was okay given you couldn't hear the wailing cat.

I haven't read "The Suicide Club" (actually there are three stories about the club) by Stevenson yet, but from the synopsis that I skimmed they really just kept the concept of the club for this episode.
There's a very nice twist at the end.

The last story was written by the director and, how should I say it, it's not eerie, but seems more like comic relief to me.
Frankly, I thought it was boring because you mostly saw the cavalier and the wife smiling at each other weirdly, uhm, I meant flirting with each other.
I don't know what the director intended with this one, but think the movie would have been better off by putting the episode first or leave it out completely. The costumes are nice, though.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie. Putting eye makeup on Veidt would make any movie eerie, don't you think?
Seriously, though, he did a fine job. Schünzel, on the other hand, was a little too dramatic for my taste as the crazy or drunk husband. Berber was best as the cat loving wife (no, I'm not saying that because Gundel made me!).

Further reading:

1. Fritzi Kramer: Eerie Tales (1919) - A Silent Film Review. On: Movies Silently, September 22, 2024
2. ?: Movie Review - Eerie Tales (1919). On: The Revenant Review, October 27, 2015 (interesting more for the part about the leads than the short review)

Diederichs Märchen der Weltliteratur or Around the world in fairy tales

I have talked about our old library before, the one that was the American library after the war before it merged with the city's library not even that long before I started using it.
I had also mentioned that the building is an apartment building now. I wish I had pictures of the inside which are still so vivid in my mind, the door I still seem to feel pushing (and hear), heck, even the restroom that I never used because I was never brave enough to ask for the key (it was not in the library, but in the hallway right next to the entrance) which meant some visits had to be cut short.
In one post I wrote "The feeling of going in there and not only looking for new books, but also returning over and over again to the comfort reads of my childhood, drawn to certain shelves like a magnet still lingers in my memory."

And three years ago I commented on a blog "When I was a child and teenager, our local library had a whole shelf full of these books and I loved the look of all the beautiful spines together. As I obviously had neither the space nor money to own them myself, I at least wanted to read each one of them and also read them to my little brother, but I don't think I ever made it all the way through. So many books to read, so little time."
Today I want to talk about that shelf that held the series called "Märchen der Weltliteratur" (Fairy Tales of World Literature) published by Diederichs (which the library still has, by the way).

The series was published from 1912 to 1940 in Jena and then again from 1952 in other cities, such as Düsseldorf.
It consists of 182 volumes, but if you don't count some of the revised editions, but only the different countries or topics, there are 165 of those.
I wonder if there's someone who has them all. They really would take up a lot of space, though.

I love the elaborate black and golden spines with the titles embossed in gold on different colors and always thought it was a pity you didn't see the beautiful cover patterns which were so typical for this series for so long without pulling the books out  (newer editions were paperbacks and the covers got modernized).
On the other hand, it was always such a surprise to pull one out randomly to see what it looked like. I'm so easy to please sometimes.

These 15 volumes were an eBay lot and I got them for less than €1 per book, postage included. I just couldn't resist, sentimental fool that I am.
But look at them, they are so pretty! They look as if they came fresh from a bookshop, they have their original plastic jackets, and even the ends of the ribbon bookmarks are still stuck inside the books. When I carefully opened some of them, they made that small "first time sound".
Do you know what I mean? That slightly creaking sound when the spine is moved and the solid edging - grey at the top in this case - "opened up" for the first time? 

Most of these are from the 70s, but the oldest one is from 1958.
Where have they been all this time? Are they really untouched and if so, why? Were they merely used for decoration? Or were they unloved gifts that the recipient didn't dare to give away?
It is an interesting mix - Japan, China, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, India, for example, but there's also Kabylia (which I admit I had to look up, it's a region in Northern Algeria), Denmark, and one volume is completely in the Low German dialect!

One of the books I looked at had this flyer inside listing prices for the "lion books" (named after the publisher's logo) in 1974, a lot more than I paid for them, I can tell you.

I pulled out the ribbon of the book in the back.

Will I read them all? Well, from cover to cover ... I don't know. There are a few hundred fairy tales in these volumes. But who knows, maybe I could do one every night before I go to sleep, and maybe I'll tell you about them every, now and then?

Old relief with the Diederichs
logo, picture by Andreas
Praefcke, CC BY 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons

10 on the 10th - October this or that

It's time for Marsha in the Middle's 10 on the 10th.
This time it's all about October and fall. Here are her "this or that" questions.

Pumpkin spice latte or apple cider?

I have never had a pumpkin spice latte in my life, but I can imagine that I would like it. I'll still choose the apple cider, though.

Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

Lots of layers or one big bulky one?

I rarely wear a lot of layers. It's usually one shirt, maybe a light jacket and my denim jacket. If that's too cold, it's shirt and my big jacket.

Harvest festival or craft fair?

I don't think I have ever been to a harvest fair, to be honest, I don't even remember something like it is done in my area (I can only think of spring events), so it's the craft fair for me.

Football games or movie nights?

This one is really easy. I don't watch sports at all, it bores me. Give me a movie anytime!

Photo via PxHere

Fuzzy socks or fuzzy slippers?

Neither if possible. I would prefer to be barefoot, but have a pair of sensible felt slippers to walk around because my feet need all the support they can get.
I always have a blanket around, but often enough my feet are sticking out and only go under it for a quick warm-up if they need it.

Orange pumpkins or white pumpkins?

Orange pumpkins. They always make me think of Linus sitting in the pumpkin field and are just more traditional to me.
If I decorated for fall, I would probably mix in other natural colors and shapes, but not necessarily white.

Photo via PxHere

Jeans or leggins?

Jeans, but the denim can't be too thick anymore. It's a heat thing with me, I love the look of jeans, but wear thinner ones even in winter now.

Horror movie or Halloween baking championship?

Do you mean to watch or to participate in? 😉
I don't really watch horror movies because it doesn't make much sense to watch a movie through your fingers. If I watch horror, it's usually a really old film.
I'm not a baker myself and also don't watch others baking (not even The Great British Bakeoff, I prefer watching crafts) and I definitely wouldn't take part in a contest. I would gladly have a look at the finished products, though. People's creativity is amazing.

Thunderstorm or crisp, chilly days?

I'll take the crisp, chilly days.

Photo via PxHere

Kettle corn or candy corn?

I only had candy corn once in my life, it's not a thing here. A friend sent me some from the USA when she heard I had never tried it there.
The ex loved his popcorn and he loved it sweet, never salty. He made it in a pot, so I guess that is kettle corn? Then he put a bit aside which didn't get sweetened, that was for Dude who absolutely loved it (of course he didn't get much). I'm not a big popcorn eater myself and never make it.
If I had to choose, I would probably take the candy corn just because it's something different (and can sit around for a while!).

How would you choose? You are welcome to play along on Marsha's blog!

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 177

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

In 2015, I mentioned the time we had to make a herbarium for school. Well, while that was the word used, we really just had to collect some leaves from trees. Most of us were not good at it, the only fun was that we had a big leaf swap meet. I don't know if that was the reason this project never got off the ground.
As always when I wasn't keen on a project, I procrastinated successfully until the last day. Then my grandmother said she would take me to the woods. Now. She pointed out leaves with her umbrella, I was to tear them off the trees. My favorite was what she said was a "blood beech", a beech with beautiful red leaves.
To this day, I have to think of my grandmother when I see red leaves, no matter the tree or season.

Picture via PxHere

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from "At the Bottom of the Garden" by Diane Purkiss.
Beginning: "It was almost dark on a winter evening in Oxford when I first caught the fascination of fairies. I had always thought of fairies as dull, too pretty to be interesting. But suddenly I found myself reading about a fairy that wasn't pretty at all. He was Yallery Brown, a sprite from the Fen Country of Eastern England, and he was inexorably, mindlessly cruel."
Page 56: "Writing about fairies in the Middle Ages is, as we shall see, writing about nearly nothing. Talking about fairies is so fatal that very few people are willing to do it. That is why we are left with glimpses. No one wants to conjure a whole."

The subtitle tells us this is "A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, and Other Troublesome Things".
I only just started the book and can't say anything about it yet, but the idea that not all of the "Little People" are Tinkerbell is of course not new to me (one example being "Lords and Ladies" by Terry Pratchett!). I found this book as a recommendation after reading "Victorian Fairy Painting" by Jeremy Maas et al.

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on My Homemade Roots.

Melissa from My Homemade Roots says: "I’m Melissa, and this is my cozy corner of the internet, where I share from scratch recipes (ok, mostly from scratch), old-fashioned kitchen wisdom, and simple homemaking ideas inspired by the rhythms of the seasons. I have a love for hearty, old-fashioned meals, freshly baked bread, and a good canning recipe. I also love to share my gardening tips, craft ideas, and hints for simple living. I write about creating a home you love in the only tried and true way I know — one simple recipe or project at a time.
...
So whether you’re here for a cozy winter dinner, a spring baking project, or tips for preserving the summer harvest, I hope you’ll find something that inspires you—and maybe even reminds you of your roots."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Kim shows how to decorate pumpkins with temporary tattoos.

Judee found a thieving little squirrel in her garden.

Olivia shares her book related "fear".

Lydia talks about the dangers of AI in dating.

Debra shares her latest "Seven Days, Seven Snaps".


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - The Monster

I really put some time in today's movie by investing two and a half minutes! Talk about attention span, people ...
The short I have for you is "The Monster" from 1903 and is by Georges Méliès, so you may know what to expect. It's a kind of magic .... (admit that you sang it)

Here's the very short plot full of spoilers 😉

An Egyptian prince and a priest meet in front of the Sphinx during a full moon.
 

Please note that the Sphinx still has its nose 😉

The priest brings a decorated chest and takes out a skeleton which makes the prince turn away in distress.
Next the priest wraps the skeleton in fabric and it starts a strange dance during which it distorts, gets smaller and taller.

The priest wraps more fabric around the skeleton and when he takes it off again, it has been revived to a beautiful young woman. The prince can't believe it, he reaches out for her longingly ...

... but the priest wraps her up again, lifts her, and throws her at the prince who's shocked to find she has turned into a skeleton again, drops her, and runs after the fleeing priest.
 

Last week, I boldly claimed that the narrative probably wasn't the important part in these films. Yes, there is a "but" now.
BUT obviously there was more to the story. This film was supposed to have a spoken narration (remember that I mentioned a "benshi" or film narrator in the post on "Namakura Gatana" as well?) which is known from Méliès's catalogs (see the source) and which tells us that the skeleton is the prince's wife.
Has anyone seen "The Mummy" with Boris Karloff? He also tried to revive his love almost 30 years later and didn't succeed, either.
Let this be a warning to you.

People have been fascinated by the old Egypt for a long time and they still are today, in literature, art, movies, science (and I haven't been completely immune to it myself how one of my jewelry pieces inspired by Khepri shows (I hadn't planned it that way, but it's still one of my personal favorites)).

Now the question is - did the priest fail or did he do this on purpose? And who is the monster in this film? What do you think?


Source and further reading:

Fritzi Kramer: The Monster (1903) - A Silent Film Review. On: Movies Silently, October 6, 2017