Significant Fragments
A selection of silent gems with a queer sensibility.The Old Actor
Dir. DW Griffith | USA 1912 | c17min
Look for the camp-looking actor types in the background in this tale of an old actor.
Behind the Screen
Dir. Charles Chaplin | USA 1916 | c24min
A backstage comedy satirising Keystone slapstick.
The Way to Strength and Beauty
Dir. Wilhelm Prager | Germany 1923 | c5min. Extract contained in 1933 sound version of UK release.
A kitsch recreation of a Greek gymnasium.
The Soilers
Dir. Ralph Ceder | USA 1923 | c20min
This lampoon of miners stealing each other’s claims is notable for a deliciously camp cowboy.
Battling Bruisers: Some Boxing Buffoonery
Dir. Adrian Brunel | UK 1926 | 5min extract
Mediatheque discovery. Two French opponents seem to offer a library of camp gestures. Could this be the earliest kiss on the lips between two men in British cinema?
