Athlete with Wand (1894)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Best movie of this year hands down!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Notice I didn't say athlete. That's because this guy here really isn't an athlete. None of what he's doing is fascinating or remarkable in any way. All he's doing is assuming a lot of positions while holding a wand. But, as uninteresting as this film is, there's a bit of humor as well. A dog is sleeping at the side of the screen and at the end lifts his/her head, wondering how much more boring the guy could get. Slightly dull but remember you're seeing a film from over a hundred years ago. This isn't to be sneezed at despite the fact that the Edison Company made more interesting film. Not watchable by today's standards but film buffs should see it because of the historical significance.

Like I said in title, I am not sure that this guy is any kind of real athletete, nor he is doing anything special. But review Snow Leopard in his review said that '' The point of the movie was not the gymnastic routine, which in itself is neither difficult or interesting. Rather, this footage allowed W.K.L Dickson and the other Edison film-makers to gain experience in the studio'', if this is correct I understand point of this movie, but anyway, I can't give this movie more than rate 1. It is boring and you will not see any interesting. I think that his dog also thinks that he is boring. I also agree with Thomas, put bad athletic performance aside, but this guy deserve his name in movie title, like Annie Oakley.

W.K.L. Dickson films another "performer". This unnamed "athlete" steps left, right, and towards the camera, while moving a "wand" in basic movements.Not sure what to make of this strange presentation from Dickson and Edison. The guys movements are not what one would call athletic. For examples of athletes around the turn-of-the-century, watch Dickson's "Sandow" and "Hadj Cheriff", both from 1894. Those performers show real physical aptitude, while the "athlete" from this film is upstaged by the dog in the lower right. Why the dog is there, no one knows. Such were the crazy days in cinema's first year.

This brief footage provides a glimpse into a developmental stage of early cinema, in that it preserves what was understood to be a practice feature made by the Edison Company, in preparation for filming some popular acts in their 'Black Maria' studio. The material itself is largely bland, but it contains a dash of ironic humor, whether it was intentional or not.The focus here is on a gymnast who does a brief, very simple routine using a wand or short staff, which he holds as he takes up various positions using his arms and legs. The point of the movie was not the gymnastic routine, which in itself is neither difficult or interesting. Rather, this footage allowed W.K.L Dickson and the other Edison film-makers to gain experience in the studio before filming the strongman Sandow (which they did shortly after making this) and other popular acts. Filming a moving performer helped them in judging how much movement the subject could make without leaving the camera field, and also with other such considerations that did not apply to still photography.Besides its main purpose, it has one humorous detail, in the dog lounging in the corner of the foreground. It's quite possible that the dog was placed there solely as a practical measure, to see how well the camera captured movements at the edges of the camera field. But it's also rather amusing to watch the dog and to see its reaction to the activities of the gymnast and the camera crew. Whether intentional or not, it adds a touch of humor to a movie that already holds some historical interest.