Century Film Project

Yet another short film of a woman in a flowy dress performing a Serpentine Dance by Alice Guy. Apparently these things were very popular, but I can’t think of much new to say about this one. In this case, the dancer appears to be middle aged, and has rather beefy arms, although she has a dancer’s legs, to judge by the twirls she makes that lift her skirts. While it is often asserted that these films were taken because they could easily be looped, this one has a distinct beginning, when Esbrard enters the stage, and an end, when she bows and throws kisses to the audience. It’s surprising to imagine that audiences were still going for this sort of thing in 1902, which is the same year that Méliès released “A Trip to the Moon.”

Director: Alice Guy

Camera: Unknown, possibly Alice Guy

Starring: Lina Esbrard

Run time: 1 Min, 40 secs

You can watch it for free: here.