L'enfant de la barricade (1907) Online

L'enfant de la barricade (1907)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This film from Alice Guy clocks in at just over five-minutes and it's certainly one of the best that I've seen from her. In the film, a boy is out walking when he accidentally gets mixed in with some men who are fighting the revolution. Before long the group of men are attacked by the police who then see the boy and think that he's a part of what has been going on. If you like these early dramas then you'll certainly enjoy this film as Guy manages to bring some nice suspense to the story and for the most part the film was extremely well-made. I really loved the framing of the picture and especially the gun battle sequence. Just check out how well framed all of the action is. It's certainly very impressive for a film from this period.

This film must have been inspired by some of the civil disturbances experienced in France during the 19th century--when revolution was in the air. Just like you'd read in "Les Miserables", the film finds a group of revolutionaries in the streets creating a barricade against the army. At the same time, a young teenage boy is just trying to go out to get some milk for his grandmother. In the process, he's assumed to be one of the revolutionaries and when they lose an engagement with the soldiers, they are about to shoot the innocent kid. He begs to go home to bring Granny the milk before they do this and they agree. But then, the idiot actually returns and is about to die--when Granny steps in and saves the day.

An odd and sentimental film, this is watchable but not especially great. Dumb kid!