To help the police, he tracks down a contraband of opium which he eagerly tastes transported within leaping fishes, saving a fish. With douglas fairbanks, bessie love, allan sears, tom wilson. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 is a comedy, mystery movie starring douglas fairbanks and bessie love. Trainspotting or any cheech and chong film seem utterly tame in. Subsequent generations elevated it to cult status for its comic treatment of drug abuse. The mystery of the leaping fish is truly overthetop with ridiculous visual jokes and lampoons many of staid societys cherished selfimages, especially those held dear in the 1910s. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. To help the police he discovers a contraband of opium which he eagerly tastes transported with leaping fishes, and the blackmail of a mysterious man who wants to marry the fish blower girl. The film is no classic even at 26 minutes it has several dry stretches, doug hated it. It also presages the professionalization and compartmentalization of specific functions in the studio era. Not so much for its quality, mind you, but its quantity. The inflatable leaping fish available there, and the girl who blows them up, will play.
Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Parody, absurdist comedy, drugsploitation, slapstick. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 douglas fairbanks. Directed by john emerson, the story was written by tod browning with intertitles by anita loos a 35 mm print of the film still exists in its entirety and is currently in the public domain. The mystery of the leaping fish is a sherlock holmes spoof starring scientific detective coke ennyday, and it has one punchline and one punchline only. What did i just watch, wish i had some context to understand it, i suspected it must have been an early fairbanks film, then the second ending. In the supposed sendup of sherlock holmes, fairbanks plays a private eye with the notsocoincidental name of coke ennyday. Its so funny, and so stupid, and the fact that the mystery of the leaping fish. Silent era home page psfl the mystery of the missing fish 1916 a growing source of silent era film information. The mystery of the leaping fish is a deeply weird silent tworeeler comedy. That the mystery of the leaping fish was made in 1916 by one of the most famous people in the entire world at that time is perplexing.
The film uses caricatural exaggeration to lampoon the genius detective, his. Christy cabanne and john emerson, with douglas fairbanks coke ennyday, bessie love the little fish blower, allan sears gent rolling. Then theres the leaping fish mystery, well its an inflatable water toy in the. It had been removed from cocacola in 1903, and im not sure but i think it was criminalized by 1914, only two years before mystery of the leaping fish. It was his son, griffith who showed me this film sometime in the mid 80s when. The mystery of the leaping fish is a 1916 short comedy film directed by john emerson, starring douglas fairbanks. Im assuming that irvine welsh must have been inspired by the insanity that is the mystery of the leaping fish. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 movie moviefone. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. Because in the 26 minutes that this gem of a film lasts, fairbanks character, coke ennyday genius partakes in enough drugs to kill the whole cast of trainspotting 10 times over. Theres a clock that marks coke ennydays schedule with the four directions marked as eats, dope, drinks, sleep. The police call and ask him to track down a smuggler, which he does with a lot of artificial help. The mystery of the leaping fish times movie tickets.
The film has become a small cult movie, a piece of slapstick surrealism in some historians opinion, which is perhaps going a little too far. Griffith and tod browning, although only the latter received billing. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916, undoubtedly the most bizarre film fairbanks made, is a burlesque on sherlock holmes. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 directed by christy cabanne. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 is an american short silent comedy film starring douglas fairbanks and bessie love. It is undoubtedly one of the weirdest films of the silent era. The mystery of the leaping fish is a 1916 american short silent comedy film spoofing craig kennedy and sherlock holmes. The mystery of the leaping fish il cinema ritrovato. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 in 1916, hollywood megastar douglas fairbanks starred in the mystery of the leaping fish. The mystery of the leaping fish is a 1916 american short silent comedy film starring douglas fairbanks, bessie love, and alma rubens. Coke ennyday, the scientific detective, divides his own time in periods for sleep, eat, dope and drink.
To help the police he discovers a contraband of opium which he eagerly tastes transported with leaping fishes, and the blackmail of a mysterious man who wants to marry the fish. Coke trails the man to the beach where he discovers a drug smuggling ring that is sneaking opium into the country through the inflatable leaping fishes rented out to beachgoers. The mystery of the leaping fish was also released as an extra on the kino version of the gaucho. An absolutely absurd and mostly insufferable comedy based entirely around. The opening shot of this 1916 film shows him wearing a bandolier of needles, and it only gets less subtle from there. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 comedy, short youtube. The mystery of the leaping fish filmoteka narodowa. The cokey comedies of the silent screen era features. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 a silent film. Our heros mission, though this becomes a little unclear in the convoluted middleact, is to bust an opiumsmuggling operation. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 the mystery of. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 100 years of doug. The mystery of the leaping fish is rarity, a film that even today astonishes the audience with its superb political incorrectness, a surreal, indescribable and unclassifiable film. The mystery of the leaping fish has been ranked 694 times, wins 43.
Fairbanks stars as coke ennyday, a goofy private detective who is asked by the local cops to investigate a newcomer to the area who is mysteriously wealthy. In it, the actor plays scientific detective coke ennyday, a parody of sherlock holmes. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 your life in film. While hes noted for his string of swashbuckling roles, here are 11 ancient film treasures from before fairbanks pirate days including the mystery of the leaping fish 1916, reaching for the moon 1930, when the clouds roll by 1919 and more, digitally mastered from 35 mm or original negative sources featuring music by eric beheim, philip carli, frederick hodges and more. The mystery of the leaping fish was released as an extra on the kino version of the gaucho and was also included in flicker alleys wondrous box set of early fairbanks films. In fact hes used to overcome every situation with drugs. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 official trailer. Douglas fairbanks appeared in this oddity of a film from 1916, supposedly cowritten by the star himself, d. Mystery of the leaping fish vhs, silent film douglas. Mystery of the leaping fish is completely nuts and i. The film is so druggy its hard to believe something like itof that vintage especiallyeven exists.
This film is obviously more of a curio than straightforward entertainment but what an oddball picture it is. The film was directed by john emerson, and is based on a story written by tod browning. Product placement wasnt new when the first back to the future film came out. Bg seriously, the preceding years were interesting times for legal cocaine in america. It was released two years after cocaine was effectively outlawed in the united states by the harrison narcotics tax act of 1914. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 century film project. This listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett. Ideal for showing people who believe that silent films are victorian relics. Back to the future and the case for product placement. The picture stars douglas fairbanks as coke ennyday, a detective with a massive drug habit who resorts to cocaine at every opportunity. Fairbanks trades in his stunts for general hyperactivity and love rather thoroughly pummels the villains when they get too fresh. He falls for inane bessie love, the girl renting out the leaping fish floats, who is unaware of the drug smuggling and is kidnapped by the crooks when she finds out.
Mystery of the leaping fish 1916, the butcher boy 1917. Criticallyreviled in its day and all but disowned by its star, douglas fairbanks, the short was rediscovered by a more welcoming audience during the early days of home video. The mystery of the leaping fish the movie database. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the mystery of the leaping fish near you. The highlight of the supplemental section is the dvd premiere of a new transfer from a very good to excellent 35mm print of fairbanks bizarre comedy short the mystery of the leaping fish 1916.
The mystery of the leaping fish a prodrug romp from 1916, starring douglas fairbanks. The film has previously been available on a number of vhs. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 is a short film starring douglas fairbanks and bessie love. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 video dailymotion. Douglas fairbanks always looks to be having fun in his movies, but this one seemed like an especially good time. To help the police he discovers a contraband of opium. The mystery of the leaping fish is an early example of the way movies comment on the process of filmmaking within a fictional framework. In this unusually broad comedy for fairbanks, the acrobatic leading man plays coke ennyday, a cocaineshooting detective parody of sherlock holmes given to injecting himself with cocaine from a bandolier of syringes worn across his chest and. The mystery of the leaping fisha prodrug romp from. The mystery of the leaping fish 1916 century film project douglas fairbanks seems to be channeling his inner ford sterling in this unusually broad comedy of drug abuse and seaside hijinks. Then theres the leaping fish mystery, well its an inflatable water toy in the movie. This film probably singlehandedly launched the war on drugs. The cokey comedies of the silent screen era cary odell may 04, 2015.
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