Ten Baby Fingers: A Weird Little Afternoon

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, if you have twenty minutes and a weird sense of humor, sure. It’s not exactly high art, but it has this bizarre energy that keeps you watching even when the plot goes completely off the rails. If you hate old-school slapstick or films that feel like they were made in a single afternoon, steer clear. 🤷‍♂️

There is this one scene where they are trying to feed the baby, and the milk goes everywhere except where it’s supposed to. It’s messy. It’s kind of gross. It’s also the only part of the movie that feels remotely human.

Most of the time, the guys are just running around shouting at each other. It reminded me a bit of the frantic pacing in Swat That Fly, though maybe a little less focused.

The odd details

The baby is clearly very confused, which actually makes the performance better. Like, the kid isn't acting, he’s just wondering why these two grown men are yelling about diapers.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Ten Baby Fingers (1934) through its definitive frames.

Also, notice the background extras in the street scenes. Half of them are looking directly at the camera. Nobody told them to stop, so they just kept staring. It’s distracting in the best way.

There’s a moment near the end where the door slams and it’s about three seconds too late. The sound editor must have been having a rough day, or maybe they just didn't care. Either way, it’s funny.

I wouldn't put this in the same category as Raskolnikov, obviously. It’s not trying to be deep. It’s just trying to be loud and chaotic.

• That one hat that keeps changing angles.
• The way they hold the baby like a sack of flour.
• The sheer lack of any real logic regarding the baby's origin.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a coherent story. But it has enough strange moments to make it worth a look if you’re bored. Just don't go in expecting anything resembling a sensible plot. 🍼