Intimately, but without sound. . . Despite the fact that among filmmakers there were those who resisted the appearance of sound cinema, believing that with sound cinema will lose its charm, silent cinema had an obvious disadvantage: without explanatory titles, it is sometimes impossible to understand what is happening on the screen. This is the case with this Austrian short film, shot in 1908. Its director was Johan Schwarzer, and if this name is familiar to you, then you can already guess what awaits you.
Schwarzer, considered one of the fathers of all Austrian cinema, specialized in what was considered pornography in those years, although by modern standards it is only quite explicit eroticism. Several women in their underwear take turns entering the spacious room and baring themselves at commissions whose appointment – “thank you” to the silent movie! – remains a mystery. Perhaps the contestants are selected for modeling, striptease (which already existed in those years), or even to replenish the staff of the brothel. The contestants clearly enjoy being examined by a uniformed person, as they smile and even laugh at each other until the commission announces its decision and leaves a single candidate.
You can praise or criticize the standards of female beauty of those years, but it is worth admitting that the scene here is indeed intimate. It is not surprising that such tapes did not come into wide distribution, and censors tried to destroy them. All the more valuable that some films were able to survive, and now we look back with a smile at the first films of the country, which, incidentally, borders Germany.
But this film is interesting not only erotic themes. If you compare it with any video that was created using the technology of the new millennium, then in addition to the monochrome image and the absence of sound, there is such a detail as the immobility of the camera. This is not only about the lack of zoom, but also about the inability to turn the lens even slightly to the side, so that viewers look at beautiful ladies all the time from one position. Filming equipment remained cumbersome until the 1920s, and therefore even outdoor scenes were preferred to be shot in sets. I wonder where the filming took place? Has this room survived to this day? Perhaps someday this secret will be revealed.
9 out of 10