BFI

J.H. Martin was one of R .W. Paul's most prolific directors and was equally happy with drama or comedy. This is a particularly good example of a trick film in which a landlady attempts to clean up a room ready to rent to stay ahead of the bailiff. A team of incompetent removal men arrive with furniture and cause havoc, tripping over, breaking the gas mantle causing an explosion.

Though basic, the slapstick routines are indicative of the British style most famously exploited by Fred Karno and from which comedians such as the Chaplin brothers and Stan Laurel acquired their skills. The new tenant, a dapper looking magician arrives and puts all right, the film using reversed shots and animated furniture, including a very convincing 'walking' ladder. The magician's clothes even walk themselves into the wardrobe as he prepares for bed: presumably a small child was employed for this purpose.

Bryony Dixon

*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'R.W. Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908', with music by Stephen Horne and optional commentary by Ian Christie.

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