The Strength and Agility of Insects (1911)
- Directed by
- F. Percy Smith
- Genre
- documentary film, silent film
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Runtime
- 4 min
- Rating
- 6.0 of 10 from 1 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This short silent documentary shows close-up footage of houseflies and other insects. The insects hold and move various small objects with their legs.
curiouslightwhimsicalobservationalpreciseunhurriedintriguinggentle
What happens
The Strength and Agility of Insects is a 1911 British short silent documentary film, directed by F. Percy Smith, featuring close-ups of houseflies and other insects secured and juggling various objects with their feet. The films in this series, which included The Acrobatic Fly (1910), "caused an absolute furore when they were first shown to the public," and, according to Jenny Hammerton of the BFI, Smith, whose stated intention "was of course to entertain the public, but also to demonstrate the strength and agility of those insects we might unthinkingly squash or swat when they settle on our lunch," "was forced to justify his methods in the press, guaranteeing that there was no trickery involved and certainly no cruelty." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
The Acrobatic Fly (1910)
Spiders on a Web (1900)
Mosquinha (1905)
In Japan (1911)
Trip Through the North of England (1910)
A Day with the Circus (1911)
The Life of the Butterfly (1911)
Summer Babies (1911)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.