Sylvia's Suspicions

Daft comedy in which a suspicious wife poses as a naked Venus statue to spy on her husband

Early filmmakers loved a statue gag. Something about standing still in a moving picture is splendidly silly, but of course dramatically, it privileges the viewer – we can see what the protagonist in the film can't, giving rise to a terrible temptation to shout out "behind you!" This comedy also makes use of another favourite trope of early filmmakers, the split-screen telephone conversation.