The Convict (1910)

Genre

silent film

Country

United States

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A man escapes from prison and leads a growing group of people on a chase through land and water. He evades everyone until he stops at a theater, where it is revealed to be a publicity stunt for a film.

lightheartedplayfulenergeticwhimsicalchaoticcleverfast-pacedamusing

What happens

The Convict is a 1910 American silent short comedy produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film begins with a convict walking down the road, he is spotted and it begins a wild chase with more people becoming involved in the pursuit as it continues. The convict gets in a carriage and leaps away, successfully eluding all the pursuers except for a little girl. The convict then runs to the water and takes a boat from another accomplice and the chase continues in water and on land. The convict gets ashore and escapes, taking a car and flees to town. The police are notified and set a trap, but the convict avoids the growing crowd of pursuers until he arrives at the theater. There "the convict" takes a pose under an advertisement and the pursuers understand it was all an advertising ploy, they purchase tickets and go to see the film. The film was released on September 23, 1910, it was the first part of a split-reel production that included A Husband's Jealous Wife. The film was met with positive reviews though the film is presumed lost. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

• A Lunatic at Large (1910)
• Broncho Billy's Leap (1914)
• Trying to Get Arrested (1909)
• Fatty's Finish (1914)
• And the Villain Still Pursued Her (1914)
• Zip, the Dodger (1914)
• Two Boys in Blue (1910)
• A Smoked Husband (1908)