A Picture of Old
English

A Picture of Old

by

fiction
cinema

Link to the pic: https://ibb.co/35J0Pb8d

You see two people in this picture: on the left, a woman leaning onto a stack of hay, her face concealed under her arm, and center image, a man, his back turned on us—he is apparently going away. You would say they are playing hide-and-seek, a naïve game suitable for two young, healthy adults in a countryside scene. Or either—a more dramatic turn—we can imagine they are lovers, and he's leaving for good after learning she is pregnant with his child. Or yet—even more dramatic—the young lady is desperate after her sturdy Middle West farmer of a boyfriend has been called to arms and is expected to serve his country and probably die in some European battlefield. However, we'd better stop imagining such tragic plots, since the movie where this capture was taken from is a silent era comedy.

I haven't watched it yet. I'll probably be back after I do and drop a few lines about it. Just a clue by now: there are two great comedians working in it--one, who was already a star by then, and the main figure in this film, would disgrace himself a few years later. On the other hand, the second comedian, while playing secondary roles when this movie was shot, would become an even bigger star in a couple of years. Film buffs out there are probably guessing the answer.

1