Nerone (1909): A Silly Little Silent Comedy That Still Charms

Alright, so *Nerone*... it's a silent film from 1909. If you're into early cinema, or just curious about how people made jokes over a hundred years ago, then yeah, give it a look. It's a quick one, probably just over ten minutes if you're lucky. But if you're expecting anything like a modern comedy or a deep, serious dive into Roman history, you'll probably just scratch your head and wonder what the fuss is about. This is for the patient, the curious.

The whole thing starts, as you'd imagine, with Emperor Nero. He’s played by Ettore Petrolini, and he's just this *presence*. His face, his gestures, they're so big and theatrical. You can almost feel him performing for the very back row of a stage.

Then comes the big moment: Rome is burning. The Great Fire. And this is where the movie just decides to go absolutely wild. Nero, in his flowing robes, just picks up a telephone! ☎️ A *modern* telephone! It's just so unexpected, so jarring, you can't help but crack a smile. It's such a simple gag, but for 1909, that had to be pretty cutting edge.

You can almost imagine audiences back then, just, *gasps* turning into chuckles. It’s the film's one truly memorable bit. The sheer audacity of it, really.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Nerone (1930) through its definitive frames.

The fire itself, well, it's not exactly CGI. It's more like smoke billowing, maybe some red fabric flapping around. But it gets the point across. The sense of panic, or what passes for panic in a silent film where everyone's moving a bit like wind-up dolls.

There's a scene, a small one, where you see a few people trying to put out the fire with buckets. And one guy just sort of *misses* the fire entirely with his throw. It's these little, slightly clumsy moments that give it a real charm. It feels less like a polished production and more like a bunch of friends having a go at making a movie.

The pacing, for such a short film, feels fine. It gets to the point. No lingering shots, no deep character development here. It’s all about setting up that one big laugh with the telephone. And it works.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece, and it isn't. But as a historical artifact, as a peek into the very early days of film comedy, it's pretty neat. You see the seeds of what would become so much more. It's a reminder that sometimes, a simple, absurd idea is all you need.

Little things I noticed:

• Nero's costume is surprisingly detailed for a quick gag film.
• The crowd scenes have this slightly stiff energy. Everyone is very aware of the camera.
• One of the 'firefighters' looks genuinely confused about what to do with his bucket.
• The film ends pretty abruptly, like they just ran out of film or ideas.