Mary Jane's Mishap
Got Fire! here, but no heroic rescues: the eugenicists were glad to see Mary Jane go...
Atypical of the era, includes four medium shots when other films included none or just one. The shots reveal the character of Mary Jane in that scene:
- a yawning (and probably inattentive) sleepyhead
- a careless simpleton, smudging her face while polishing shoes
- a playful airhead, goofing with her mistake
- the most dangerous type of fool: winks to the camera showing she is pleased with her 'clever' idea of lighting the stove with paraffin
Even more atypically, all of the shots remain within the narrative. Thus, we know all this about Mary Jane that morning without the aid of narration or symbols, but solely through the skillful use of both pantomime and camerawork.