The Devils Plaything: American Surrealism (1902 1938)

Edwin S. Porter and other early filmmakers used bizarre sets, fantastic costumes, and magic lantern tricks to illuminate their fantasy films. American parody supplied Douglas Fairbanks with enough unusual material to produce the truly surreal When the Clouds Roll By (1919). The expressionistic Cabinet of Dr. Calagari (1919) influenced American sensibilities throughout the 1920s as seen in Beggar of Horseback (1925), The Life and Death of 9413A Hollywood Extra (1927) and The Telltale Heart (1928). The emphasis shifted when amateurs J. S. Watson, Jr. , Joseph Cornell, and Orson Welles crafted a unique variety of American surrealism on film unfettered by European concerns. 17 FILMS: Jack and the Beanstalk (1902)Edwin S. Porter Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)Edwin S. Porter The Thieving Hand (1907)creator unknown, Vitagraph Impossible Convicts Billy Bitzer When the Clouds Roll By (1919)Douglas Fairbanks Victor Fleming (excerpt) Beggar on Horseback (1925)James Cruze (excerpt) The Fall of the Ho