Pool Sharks (Short 1915)

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Pool Sharks: Directed by Edwin Middleton. With W.C. Fields, Marian West, Larry Westford, Bud Ross. Two romantic rivals play a game of pool for the hand of their lady love.

“This W. C. Fields film truly is representative of the time in which it was made. In 1915, most silent comedies were pure slapstick–with lots of punching, slapping and pratfalls and hardly any plot. The films were mostly acted u0026quot;off the cuffu0026quot; with no detailed script and as a result, the movies seem rough and not particularly memorable in most cases. This movie is about average for the time–but in no way does it appear like the character Mr. Fields played in his later films. Itu0026#39;s really a shame, as the movie could have just as easily starred any silent comedian of the day.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFields and another guy inexplicably dislike each other (you can tell due to all the slapping and hitting). They challenge each other to a pool competition and both men proceed to make some totally impossible shots. This part was awfully silly and COULD have been good, but the trick cinematography was done poorly and looks totally fake–even by 1915 standards. If they had just sped up the film, it would have come off perfectly. Other than that, nothing else stands out in my mind. Itu0026#39;s just another silent slapstick comedy.”

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