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This R.W. Paul film (also known as A Wayfarer Compelled to Disrobe Partially) is a rather sinister comedy in which a
respectable-looking man is forced to undress at gunpoint. The figures are framed
in a static medium long-shot, but this simple staging results in a distinctly
voyeuristic effect. The obvious and fixed position of the camera turns the
viewer into an accomplice, since it forces us to watch the man's humiliation
head-on, ultimately aligning ourselves not with the victim but with the
thief.
The codes of dress recorded by Victorian cinema are always
fascinating. Men, women and children are always seen formally dressed, even when
on a rollercoaster, as in A Switchback Railway (d. R.W. Paul, 1898). Clothing was
particularly indicative of status in the 19th Century, and although only
intended as a comedy, Robbery in fact reveals how the stripping of one's
Victorian 'uniform' also meant the stripping of one's integrity.
Christian Hayes *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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Complete film (0:24)
