The Doll's Revenge (1907)

A doting father buys his daughter an astonishing wind-up doll, and her brother takes exception-but the 'children' appear to be adults and the doll...Good Lord, did someone doctor my orange juice again?

I honestly don't know why film historians don't mention early auteur Cecil B. Hepworth more than they do-he directed several hundred films throughout his 1898-1924 career, pioneered many photographic inventions, was integral to the development of the British Film Industry and even wrote the first handbook on film. So why is this gentleman not mentioned in the same breath as George Melies, D.W. Griffith and F.W. Murnau?

After watching this darkly surreal 3 minute short, I still don't know. Shot on what was probably the cost of a good steak dinner back then, the creativity of the director still shows through, from the bizarre casting of the two main characters to the early but quite serviceable special effects, and the Penny Dreadful-style ending...

Did I like it? Very much so-and I recommend this very short film as a nice way to clear the cobwebs from your brain during a study break...Silent, B&W.