This film is part of Free
The Madness of the Dance
From biting nuns to twitching schoolgirls, a professor (Maxine Peake) takes us on a musical journey through mass hysteria.
Drama 2006 17 mins
Overview
In the middle ages, there was an outbreak of dancing manias in Europe that lasted hundreds of years. In the 20th century, thousands of Chinese men and some women thought that their genitalia was vanishing, while schoolgirls in Belgium thought that they were being poisoned by a certain brand of fizzy drink. Looking at these various cases, and more, the professor (Maxine Peake) takes us on a musical journey through mass hysteria.
This short from Carol Morley can be seen as a companion piece to her later feature from 2014, The Falling, about an unexplained epidemic at a girls' school.
Subjects
Related
Carol Morley
The Fear of Trilogy The Fear of Trilogy
Comedy 2006 3 mins
Maxine Peake stars in a short film about three fears - birds, falling, sleepwalking - shot and edited by Carol Morley on a mobile phone, in a single day.
Stalin My Neighbøur Stalin My Neighbøur
Drama 2004 15 mins
Carol Morley's short about a woman who's obsessed with local history, while trying to forget her own past.
Girl Girl
Drama 1993 7 mins
Carol Morley's debut short uses the stylistic devices of the melodrama to explore the story of a girl's relationship with her father.
Secondhand Daylight Secondhand Daylight
Drama 1993 9 mins
Carol Morley's graduation short in which a selection of twenty-somethings talk about their troubles.
The Week Elvis Died The Week Elvis Died
Drama 1997 16 mins
Eleven-year-old Karen meets king of the airwaves, Tony Blackburn (played by himself) in Carol Morley's bittersweet short.
Return Trip Return Trip
Documentary 2001 24 mins
Carol Morley tracks down her old friend Catherine Corcoran and returns to India where they once travelled as teenagers.
New
Fox Hunt Fox Hunt
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1936 8 mins
Spoiler alert! The fox is always going to outsmart the hounds in this delightful, balletic cartoon that heads from the countryside into 1930s suburbia.
Carmen Carmen
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1936 9 mins
Carmen get your cartoon opera fix in this (very!) loose version of Bizet’s classic tale of romance and treachery.
Jealous Doll, Or, The Frustrated Elopement Jealous Doll, Or, The Frustrated Elopement
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1909 4 mins
Toy Story meets Fatal Attraction in this tale of an Edwardian childhood romance scuppered by poor finances and a stalking dolly
Adolf's Busy Day Adolf's Busy Day
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1940 8 mins
Who does he think he’s kidding? This parodic day-in-the-life portrait of Mr Hitler is one of the very few British examples of comic cartoon propaganda from WW2.
Geni and a Genius (Series 1) Geni and a Genius (Series 1)
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1919 10 mins Silent
Remember when Charlie Chaplin went into space? Reality is no obstacle in this endlessly inventive silent cinema cartoon of the 'Little Tramp'
Booster Bonzo; Or, Bonzo in Gay Paree Booster Bonzo; Or, Bonzo in Gay Paree
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1925 6 mins
1920s canine icon Bonzo the Dog tests the Entente Cordiale to the limit in this silent British cartoon