Pretty Good

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

When a mysterious figure appears to cause a series of disruptions at the Frisbie Home in New York, word goes out to Scotland Yard that the Fuzz-Faced Phantom is at work. Soon, Charley MacNeesha and his assistant MacGregor are sent across the ocean to investigate. But even as they arrive at the home, a new series of weird events begins: full-grown chickens hatch from eggs, pots float across rooms, and pants dance of their own volition.Charles Bowers was forgotten for decades and his name was notably absent from most histories of the Silent Era... and how is that possible? Once you have seen this film, you will instantly put it up there with all the silent greats: Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Lloyd... maybe his output was smaller (I don't know), but this one film alone is an incredible mash of surrealistic weirdness and stop-motion chicanery. I can't think of anything else in the era that even comes close.

"There It Is" is a 19-minute black-and--white silent film directed by and starring Charlie Bowers. Now he may not be as famous as Keaton, Lloyd, Chaplin and Arbuckle, but he made a lot of films as well during the silent era and also starred in most of these. Maybe the reason is that most of his work was done when sound emerged already. This one here for example was made in 1928, so almost 90 years ago and there already existed sound films from that year. Anyway, sadly despite this being one of Bowers' most known works, it's hardly a good watch. The only reason I can think of why anybody would want to see it is because of how strange and bizarre it is occasionally. But sadly, despite being described as a comedy, it really never is funny. That's why I cannot recommend the watch overall. Thumbs down.

It's a darn shame that Charley Bowers is practically unknown today and that so few of his films remain. It's because his work is among the cleverest and strangest of the silent era--and there really is nothing like it. I first came in contact with his work with a wonderful DVD collection "Charley Bowers: The Rediscovery of an American Comic Genius". And, sadly, the only other film I could find that was not in this set is this one, "There It Is"--a terrific and wacky comedy if there ever was one! This film begins at a home where LOTS of strange things are occurring. The camera tricks Bowers used to make this strange things occur were outstanding and still hold up quite well today. Seeing an egg being cracked open and a full-size chicken soon materializing from it, dancing pants and all the other sight gags are very complicated and many of them were done using stop-motion--a trademark of Bowers' comedy. Anyway, in addition to these oddities, a very odd looking bald man keeps appearing and disappearing and doing lots of strange things. It's all a visual treat for the audience, but the Frisbie family is scared, so they contact Scotland Yard--which is odd, since they live in America! Regardless, a kilted Bowers soon arrives and tries to get the bottom of these weird happenings. He is totally inept and at his wits end when the punchline appears--and I don't think I should say any more.The bottom line is that this is a one of a kind visual treat--funny, strange and well worth seeing. And, it's ample proof that they made some great silent comedies and that Bowers was a master.

In this rare silent, Bowers plays a Scottish detective who is assigned to capture a "fuzz-faced phantom" who "haunts" a house.The special effects, especially the stop-motion segments, are truly revolutionary and creative (in one scene, an egg hatches into a full-grown chicken right before your eyes!). And, the "phantom" does some pretty weird things, via special effects.Bowers was a film "genius" and, in my opinion, far surpasses George Melies, and others.I have MOST of this film, but not the entire film. If anyone has it (or other Bowers films), I would LOVE to purchase copies of them.Thank you! Norm