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4.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Frank Whitman: That Surprising Fiddler remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Is this worth watching today? Honestly, yes. Especially if you have ten minutes to kill and you’re tired of everything being so polished and fake. This is the kind of thing you’d enjoy if you like weird history or those old talent shows where people actually had to do something difficult to get noticed.
If you hate old movies where nothing 'happens' and the sound crackles like a bowl of Rice Krispies, you’ll probably want to skip it. But you'd be missing out on some genuine 1920s weirdness.
So, Frank Whitman. The guy is a total trip. He walks out on this very basic stage, and you think it’s just going to be a boring recital. But then he starts doing things with that violin that would make a classical teacher have a heart attack.
I caught myself leaning closer to the screen when he started playing the fiddle behind his back. It wasn't even the music that got me—it was his face. He has this wide, slightly terrifying grin the whole time, like he knows something you don't. It’s that old-school vaudeville energy where they’re performing for the back row, even though the camera is right in front of him.
The sound quality is... well, it's 1928. It’s one of those early Vitaphone shorts. You can hear the hiss of the disc spinning in the background. Sometimes the music sounds like it's coming from inside a tin can, but that’s part of the charm, right? It feels like you’re eavesdropping on a ghost.
Okay, the highlight is definitely when he brings out the broom. I’m not even kidding. He uses the broom as a bow. I’ve seen some strange things in movies like Sea Scamps, but a man aggressively serenading a camera with a cleaning tool is a new one for me.
He also does this bit with a playing card. He sticks it between the strings or something? I couldn't quite tell because the film grain is so thick in that shot, but the sound it made was hilarious. It sounded like a giant insect trapped in a box.
It’s funny how these early sound films were basically just "Look! We have sound!" and they’d just film whoever was nearby. Bryan Foy, who’s listed as the guy behind this, was basically churning these out like a factory. It’s way less serious than something like Vendémiaire, which feels like it’s trying to be Art with a capital A.
Frank doesn't care about art. Frank wants to show you he can play a fiddle while holding it upside down. He’s a showman. There’s this one moment where he almost misses a note, and you can see him blink really fast, but he keeps that grin plastered on. It’s actually kind of inspiring.
I noticed his shoes, too. They’re these very shiny, very pointed dress shoes that look incredibly uncomfortable. He’s bouncing around in them while trying to maintain his balance and play a difficult solo. I can barely walk in sneakers without tripping, and here’s this guy doing acrobatics with a wooden box from the 1800s.
I kept thinking about Flaming Youth while watching this, mostly because of the era. People in 1928 must have thought this was the peak of entertainment. No CGI, no jump cuts, just a man and his surprising fiddle. It makes you realize how much we rely on editing now to make things look cool. Frank didn't have any of that. If he messed up, the whole disc was ruined.
The middle of the short drags for about thirty seconds when he’s just tuning or something. I actually checked my phone. But then he started playing with his nose (I think? the angle was weird) and I was back in. It’s bursty like that. One second it’s dull, the next it’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen all week.
I wonder what happened to his fiddle after the cameras stopped. It looked like it had been through a war. Probably because he was constantly hitting it with household objects. It’s definitely more energetic than The Right to Lie, even if there's no plot to speak of.
Anyway, it’s a short. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It just does its tricks and leaves. We need more movies that know when to quit. Seriously.
If you’re looking for a deep meaning, you won’t find it. It’s just a guy being good at a very specific, very useless skill. And honestly? That’s enough for me today. It’s better than watching another billion-dollar movie where everything is gray and everyone is sad. Frank is happy. Frank has a fiddle. Frank has a broom. Life is good.
One last thing—the way the film ends is so abrupt. It just... stops. No credits, no "The End," just a cut to black. It’s like Frank Whitman just vanished into thin air the moment he stopped playing. Maybe he did. 🎻
IMDb 2.1
1918
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