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by Johann Schwarzer
grade: 6.5
This little and entertaining A Funny Story at the Window perfectly captures the essence of what film pioneer Johann Schwarzer made during his short but intense career.
Three cheerful girls
A director who was undervalued for a long time and even almost forgotten, Johann Schwarzer. Yes, because, in fact, the director and photographer, as well as film pioneer and founder of the Saturn-Film, did not have an easy life, despite his undoubted courage and keen curiosity about this new art form. Usually making erotic (but also rather ironic) short films, his works were often contested, although many people at the time appreciated them (more or less ‘secretly’). The same can be said, for example, about the film A Funny Story at the Window, made in 1908, which fully fits into the canon of Schwarzer’s vast production.
A Funny Story at the Window stands out first and foremost for its short running time (just over a minute) and the use of a single camera angle. Inside a room (with a window directly opposite the camera), we see three cheerful girls (perhaps three sisters? Or just three friends?) laughing and joking with one another. After a short while, the three open the window and look out. One of them, however, leans out more than the others, and the other two play a joke on her, leaving her almost naked at the window and leaving immediately afterwards. In the end, a man enters the room and is surprised by what he has just seen.
As we can see, therefore, A Funny Story at the Window is characterised above all by an almost rudimentary simplicity, especially in terms of the directorial approach itself and, more generally, the technique with which it was made. Nothing new, as far as Johann Schwarzer’s filmography is concerned. Yet, when we consider that in 1908, when A Funny Story at the Window was made, cinema had been in existence for thirteen years and, in the meantime, numerous developments had been made by filmmakers around the world in terms of the various techniques themselves, we realise how Schwarzer (despite proving himself to be a rather courageous and decidedly forward-thinking director in many respects) adopted a technique that is almost reminiscent of the early films of the Lumière brothers or Edison.
No matter, however. Thanks to the Saturn-Film, Austria finally began producing (albeit unofficially) its first films, opening up to a world that would bring it much satisfaction. Unfortunately, the same did not happen to Johann Schwarzer, who, precisely because of his choice to make erotic films, was not well regarded by the local authorities and was forced to close his production company in 1911, after only five years of activity. Many of his films have unfortunately been lost, but at the same time, just as many have survived to this day. And this little and entertaining A Funny Story at the Window perfectly captures the essence of what he accomplished during his short but intense career.
Original title: Eine lustige Geschichte am Fenster
Directed by: Johann Schwarzer
Country/year: Austria / 1908
Running time: 1’
Genre: erotic, comedy
Screenplay: Johann Schwarzer
Cinematography: Johann Schwarzer
Produced by: Saturn-Film