An Interesting Story is a 1905 black-and-white short silent British comedy directed by Scottish photographer and pioneer in British filmmaking James Williamson.
The film follows the exploits of a man engrossed in a novel he's reading as he goes about his day tripping over maids, bumping into people on the street, and, eventually, getting run over by a steamroller.
Notable for being one of the very earliest Slapstick films, it was also one of the first films to offer a narrative, as well as a shift from the then-dominant "pictorial" way of photography, to a more natural method of filming.
You can watch it here.
An Interesting Story contains examples of:
- Hollywood Healing: Despite being flattened by a steamroller, after being reinflated the man just gets back up and keeps walking and reading.
- Stop Trick: Used right as the man is about to get run over by a steamroller and right after he's reinflated.
- Squashed Flat: The climax of the movie involves the protagonist getting run over by a steamroller, flattened, and then pumped back up to continue on his way.
