Croquet!
Our Day is a 1938 short film (12 minutes) by Wallace Kelly.
It is Kelly's home movie about a day in the life of his family, showing the routine daily activities of the rather well-to-do Kellys. We see the Kellys get up in the morning, get dressed, have breakfast, and do stuff like putter around the garden and play games like crokinole
. The home movie shows a level of sophistication in editing and shot composition that reflect Wallace Kelly's background as an art student and photographer.
Tropes:
- Day in the Life: A rather routine portrait of the life of an upper-crust family.
- Documentary: Wallace Kelly documenting his life.
- Idle Rich: The Kellys live in a two-story house with a garden, they have a grand piano, they have their own maid, and they seem to fill their day by playing croquet and board games and cards. Only one brief shot hints at any of them having jobs, as Wallace Kelly is seen at his photography studio. (The Kellys also owned the local newspaper.)
- Match Cut: From the shower drain to a clock sitting on a dresser.
- Silence Is Golden: Shot on 16mm film without any sound.
- Slice of Life: Documenting the ordinary lives of an American family.
- Tabletop Games: The Kellys play crokinole, a tabletop game that involves shooting discs around a small wooden board.
- Title Drop: Twice Kelly refers to "our day" when describing the action. ("After breakfast, our day officially begins.")
