prettycleverfilmgal Thanks to the generosity and hospitality of an awesome Toronto film fan, I had the opportunity to see The Mystery of the Leaping Fish last weekend. I've seen this silent short before, but it's been awhile and I had forgotten how truly weird and oddball it is. I think a lot of silent film fans probably skipped this one, or never quite caught it. I also think a lot of viewers, even seasoned silent film viewers, will be surprised at how very subversive this little gem is.The Mystery of the Leaping Fish stars Douglas Fairbanks as Coke Ennyday, the "scientific detective." Old Coke divides his time between, as the movie so delightfully informs us, "Sleeps" "Eats," "Dope," and "Drink." Despite the fact that he's coked out his gourd, he stumbles across an opium smuggling ring. The Chinese or Japanese or some kind of hybrid Chapanese are smuggling opium via "Leaping Fishes" amusements, i.e. inflatable fish rafts for rent by the seashore. For some inexplicable reason, a Gent Rolling in Wealth (A. D. Sears) is blackmailing the Gang Leader (William Lowery) to force the Little Fish Blower (Bessie Love) – yeah, you read that right – to marry him. Zaniness ensures, Coke Ennyday helps the Police Chief I.M. Keene (Tom Wilson) bust the smugglers, the Little Fish Blower doesn't have to blow any more fish, do any more blow, or marry anybody, and all is right with the world.The plot isn't the wildest part. Aside from starring silent powerhouse Fairbanks, the scenario was written by Tod Browning. And an uncredited D.W. Griffith. And intertitled by Anita Loos. Basically, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is the Traveling Wilburys of movies, with about the same results. Much like that pop super-group, the final product doesn't measure up to the collected talent pool. In fact, the whole thing is just very… odd. Dare I say it seems like the product of some coke fueled lost weekend? The sort of thing that seemed like a good idea at the time? None of which is to say you should not watch The Mystery of the Leaping Fish. You should watch it. One, Fairbanks, though he doesn't look quite himself in this flick, is always Fairbanks. To see him do "coked up" is to see some of his patented amazing physicality. But mostly you should watch it to be boggled by the daringness of the subject matter and boldness of the satire. I mean, The Little Fish Blower? How very outre. Most viewers who sit down to watch a silent film made in 1916 probably aren't quite prepared to see a lead actor wearing a bandolier of hypos and taking handfuls of white powder from a bucket labeled "cocaine" and rubbing it all over his face. It takes a lot to shock a modern cinema goer, but there are some, if not shocking, at lease very surprising things here.Often, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is described as a pro-drug farce. I wouldn't say that, but mostly because the narrative is too muddled to be pro or con anything. Coke Ennyday and the police seem to be a-OK with Coke's coke use, but they take a less approving approach to the opium smugglers. Yet Coke dips into the opium as well. While the filmmakers have a firm grasp on the effects of cocaine, opium doesn't typically get ya all jazzed up. Or, um, so I've been told. If there was some point being made here, I'm not at all sure what it was.All in all, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is deeply weird. See it for the sight gags (check out Coke's checkered car!) and Fairbanks at his absolute nuttiest. Also see it for strangely discombobulating experience of seeing it and puzzling over it.

FerdinandVonGalitzien Even for a German aristocrat there are some bizarre films that just can't be understood. This happens each time in the Schloss is shown "The Mystery Of The Leaping Fish", a film directed by Herr John Emerson and produced by D. W. Griffith's "Triangle" society.Probably the habits of its principal male character, a bizarre detective who's name is Coke Ennyday ( played by a young and funny Herr Douglas Fairbanks ) are not very common among the aristocratic class ( or at least in such huge proportions… ) and the costumes that he wears are too eccentric for the Teutonic bourgeoisie more accustomed to elegant dress and discreet cocktail suits. Not to mention that the gadgets that Herr Ennyday uses are too modern for the 10's… Anyway, whatever it is, each time this German count watches this bizarre, inventive, bold, amazing film full of puns written by Dame Anita Loos and assisted by Herr Tod Browning, the miracle happens and this German count… laughs in a stentorian voice!."The Mystery Of The Leaping Fish" is rarity, a film that even today astonishes the audience with its superb political incorrectness, a surreal, indescribable and unclassifiable film; that is to say, an unique silent masterpiece.And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must sniff snuff.Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Silent_Era What an amazing piece of history! Most people don't know that, yes, cocaine was in extremely wide recreational use in the years between 1900-1925. In fact it was something of an epidemic in the latter years of that period. The facts that hospitals were swamped with cocaine addicts and that as much as a 1/5 of some city populations were registered as addicted are lost to common historical knowledge.However this film, made by Tod Browning (the infamous creator of "Freaks"), has absolutely nothing negative to say about cocaine: Cocaine is funny, cocaine is fun, and cocaine lets you do superhuman things.Fairbanks, who was a coke addict in real life, stars in this film. It's funny simply for the fact that it's an unapologetic pro-drug comedy, though if you don't find that kind of thing funny, you won't find this movie interesting at all. In fact it seems like the movie was made on drugs, the titles go by so quickly that you'd have to be a member of Mensa just to read them without pausing. The plot is nonexistent, it's just a series of cheap drug gags, in the vein of Cheech & Chong had they lived in 1915.

beckydi The sheer thud of my jaw dropping and hitting the floorboards while watching this silent film is enough to recommend it. Innocent times? I don't think so. More naive than anything else. I do not advocate drug use (just wanted to make that clear) but this should be viewed by anyone interested in film. Then watch 'Reefer Madness.' What a difference in American social opinion! While old Sherlock is snuffing up cocaine and injecting himself silly while still managing to solve a case, the teenagers have a couple of joints and end up doing stupid things like murder, suicide, attempted rape, hit and run... 'The Mystery of the Leaping fish' is funny because it's shocking - the flippancy with which drug use is treated is breath taking. It should not be taken seriously, obviously, but it is an interesting piece in terms of social/cultural context. Who knew?!