Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer (1897)

Original title

Comic Face

Directed by

George Albert Smith

Genre

comedy film, silent film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1 min

Rating

4.9 of 10 from 18 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A comedian drinks a glass of beer and makes funny faces at the camera. The short film captures his increasingly lively expressions as he enjoys the drink.

lightheartedplayfulupbeatsimplecharmingcomedicbrisk

What happens

Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer (AKA: Comic Faces) is an 1897 British short silent comedy film, directed by George Albert Smith, featuring a man drinking a glass of beer whose face and hands become increasingly lively as a result. The 35-second, single-shot film shows comedian Tom Green, according to Bryony Dixon of BFIfilms, "performing what is known as a 'facial', that is a piece direct to camera showing changing facial expressions. The ability to get close up to the star was a great advantage that film had over the stage and early filmmakers were keen to exploit it." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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