Pre 1920s List Discussion/Suggestions (List Project Vol. 3)

[therewillbeblus]

Det elektriske Hotel: This Danish silent short from 1916 was a surprisingly sublime romp. The first half is simply impressive on a technical level, implementing creative special effects for the period around the initiation of moving inanimate objects without explanation, the kind of unprompted absurdist internal logic that Quentin Dupieux might apply to his worlds. The last half kicks things up ten notches though, inviting a totally left-field zany central conceit that the film milks of all its imaginative potential in just a few minutes. If the film had operated entirely in this mold, it would be a newfound classic, but the bifurcated attention softens the whole product's impact, even if that first section is clever in its own right. Recommended, on backchannels.

[Tommaso]

Thank you very much for the recommendation. While I agree completely with your assessment, let me point out that Det elektriske Hotel is simply a very close remake of Segundo de Chomon's 1908 Electric Hotel, which is available on an excellent 2010 Spanish disc entitled "Segundo de Chomón 1903-1912: El Cine de la fantasia" (fully subtitled and with a 112-page bilingual booklet). The Danish remake is perhaps a little more accomplished in terms of narrative, but all the major events of the later film are already present in the earlier version: the self-unpacking of the suitcases, the shaving, and even the letter home, and of course also the final 'big havoc' sequence, which admittedly is more over-the-top in the 1916 film. Both films are great, for sure, but perhaps the Danish film might appear less striking if you have seen Chomón's original.

People who want to see the Danish version don't need the backchannels, btw. It is freely available online thanks to the Danish Film Institite here. That site has a lot of fantastic other Danish silents, including some great Asta Nielsen rarities. Check it out, folks, if you haven't already done so.

[therewillbeblus]

Oh, cool, thanks for the resource! Funnily enough, the Danish remake wasn't on Letterboxd, but did have an IMDb page, so I added it and came across the Chomon film in the process- I figured they might be related!