George Bernard Shaw is a Total Ham in this 1928 Newsreel

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, yes, but only if you have five minutes and a weird fascination with seeing dead famous people act like real humans.

If you're looking for a plot or 'cinematic stakes,' you are going to absolutely hate this. It’s just an old man in a garden.

Shaw walks out of his house like he's just noticed a bunch of kids on his lawn. He’s got this massive, chaotic white beard that looks like it’s trying to escape his face.

He starts by checking his watch. It feels so staged but in a way that’s actually kind of sweet.

The sound quality is that specific kind of crusty early Movietone audio. It has this constant hiss that sounds like frying bacon in the background.

I love how he talks to the audience. He treats the camera like a person he’s trying to impress at a dinner party.

The highlight is definitely the Mussolini bit. Shaw starts talking about how stern the guy looks in photos.

Then, he does this face. He bulges his eyes and sticks out his jaw to mimic the dictator’s 'tough guy' look.

It is weirdly funny. Seeing a Nobel Prize winner act like a theater kid is not what I expected from 1928.

He mentions that he’s supposed to be this very serious, important author. But he can't seem to stop smiling at his own jokes.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Shaw Talks for Movietone News (1928) through its definitive frames.

There is a moment where he looks directly into the lens and you can tell he’s wondering if the microphone is actually picking him up. It’s a tiny look, but it makes him feel so much less like a 'historical figure' and more like your slightly eccentric grandpa.

The background is just some leafy bushes and a stone path. It’s way more peaceful than the stuff you see in The Barricade which is all drama and intensity.

I found myself wondering if he practiced this in the mirror before the crew showed up. He probably did.

Compared to something like The Family Album, this feels much more alive because Shaw isn't just reading lines. He’s performing his own personality.

The way he says goodbye is abrupt. He just decides the 'show' is over and walks back toward his house.

It’s a bit like a 1920s version of a TikTok vlog. 'Hey guys, it’s George, today I’m going to roast an Italian leader.'

I noticed a small bird or something fly across the background for a split second. Nobody cared back then, obviously, but it’s cool to see a random bird from a hundred years ago just doing its thing.

It’s much more entertaining than How I Became Krazy, mostly because Shaw is actually charming. Most people from that era on film look like they’re terrified of the camera.

The whole thing is over before you can even get bored. Which is a compliment! 🎬

I wish modern celebrities were this simple. Just stand in a garden, make a funny face, and leave.

It’s a vibe, as the kids say. Or whatever the 1928 equivalent of a vibe was. A 'jolly good show' maybe?