That Wild, Weird Six Minutes: The Fresh Lobster

Right off the bat, if you’re looking for a Sunday afternoon blockbuster, or even a solid B-movie, The Fresh Lobster is absolutely not it.

This thing is a *six-minute* silent short from 1928 that someone slapped sound onto in 1948.

If you’re into film history, or just enjoy really, really old, simple gags, then maybe, just maybe, this little piece of weirdness might scratch an itch.

Everyone else? Probably give it a miss. You're not losing much, honest.

The whole deal here is Billy Bletcher. He's this guy, right, just trying to enjoy his day, and then there’s a lobster.

A very, very fresh lobster, as the title implies. And it causes all sorts of trouble.

It’s pretty much just Bletcher reacting to this wild creature. His expressions are pretty big, exactly what you’d expect from the silent film era.

He really sells the *oh-my-goodness-a-lobster-is-attacking-me* vibe. It’s quite physical comedy, obviously.

It's fascinating to think about this film, originally, being totally silent.

Then two decades later, they add sound. What sound? Just some music? Some squawks for the lobster?

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Fresh Lobster (1928) through its definitive frames.

It’s not like there’s dialogue to add. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters, even though it’s just a man versus a shell-covered beast.

The sound doesn't *really* change the experience all that much, you know? It’s still very much a visual-first kind of thing.

I kept thinking about Harry Forbes, the cinematographer, who passed away in 1939.

So he filmed this in '28, likely never heard it with sound. That’s a strange little thought to hold onto while watching.

Like, he couldn't have imagined it with talking, because that wasn't how film *was* for him. It’s just this tiny, tiny historical artifact.

The whole thing is just a single, extended gag. Man finds lobster, lobster causes chaos, man reacts.

Repeat. For six minutes. It feels like a quick sketch someone filmed on a whim.

There’s a simplicity to it that’s kinda charming, if you’re in the mood for it. But it also goes on about two minutes too long, even for six minutes.

That initial charm starts to thin out by the time the lobster is still causing trouble.

You can tell it was made on a shoestring, a real humble effort.

But for what it is, a brief, silly distraction from a bygone era, it's not without its own peculiar charm. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It's a lobster, guys. 🦞