Songs and Impressions is a weird, scratchy time capsule

If you have about fifteen minutes and like looking at very old ghosts, this is worth a look. Otherwise, you’ll probably find it incredibly boring.

It’s not really a movie in the way we think of them now. There’s no plot or character growth or anything like that.

It’s just a series of people standing in front of a flat background doing their 'acts.' It feels like someone just pointed a camera at a stage and said 'go for it.'

The first singer has this incredibly high voice that almost hurts the ears because the recording is so old. You can hear the hiss of the film the whole time.

I noticed her dress is actually a bit dirty at the hem. She probably walked to the studio in it. 🎤

Then there is this guy doing impressions. He says he is doing 'famous politicians' but I didn't recognize a single one of them.

He makes a funny face and changes his hat, and I guess people back then thought it was hilarious. It’s kind of charming in a sad way.

If you’ve seen He Got It, you know this kind of early comedy can be hit or miss. Mostly miss here, honestly.

The lighting is pretty bad too. One side of the performer's face is always in total darkness like they only had one lamp in the whole building.

There is a moment where a pianist in the corner clearly misses a note and then looks at the camera with this 'oh no' expression. It made me laugh more than the jokes did.

It reminded me a bit of the stage energy in Good Gracious, Annabelle, but way cheaper looking. Like, much cheaper.

I wonder who these people were. They probably thought this was thier big break into the flickers.

The film just ends abruptly. No credits, no 'the end,' just a sudden cut to blackness.

It's not exactly a cinematic masterpiece. It's more like finding a stranger's family photos at a garage sale. 🎞️

I’d say skip it unless you are doing research or you’re just really bored on a Tuesday night. It doesn't have the heart of something like A Dog of the Regiment.

The whole thing feels very fragile. Like if you played the reel one more time, it might just turn into dust.

Anyway, it's a short watch. At least it doesn't overstay its welcome like some of those long silent dramas.

The bird whistle guy was okay though. I’ll give him that. He really committed to the bird sounds. 🐦