1906: Careful with that Ale, Eugene

Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)
Director: Edwin S. Porter
10 min.; U.S.A.; Black and White (tinted); Silent

Before I begin writing about Dream of a Rarebit Fiend(1906) for the Avant-Garde Blog-A-Thon, I have to admit that I'm eating a Welsh Rarebit right now (purely for the sake of an accurate study, of course). It's tasty! For those who have not had the pleasure of this tasty toast treat I’ll include a recipe. Grill some yourself and then read on (and let's hope that the reported nightmare-inducing power of the infamous dish is just a myth).

If avant-garde cinema owes any of its origin to the work of Edwin Stanton Porter the debt is for Porter's Dream of a Rarebit Fiend. And if Porter's experimental film succesfully abandons a realistic representation of the world as we know it then it owes a similar debt to the work of the brilliant illustrator and animator who inspired it, Winsor McCay.

McCay’s "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" was a popular comic strip that ran in the Evening Telegram in the years 1904-1914. The strip was a cautionary statement against overindulgence targeted at adults. In the comic, the titular protagonist experiences a severe nightmare that reveals shortcomings in his social behavior and the consequences of such behavior. The character then wakes up, blames the bad dream on a surfeit of Welsh Rarebit and, shaken by the experience, swears off the stuff. The dreamworld setting of the strip allows McCay the freedom to bend the laws of the physical universe, twisting streets into tunnels, turning beds into walking beasts, stretching pipes into spaghetti, and morphing people into giants; nothing is safe from the artist's penchant for transfomation. In the 1920s McCay created four hand-drawn animated films based on the strip, but Edwin S. Porter, working for the Edison Manufacturing Co., made a much earlier live-action adaptation of it.

Porter is best remembered for his narrative innovations in The Life of an American Fireman (1903) and The Great Train Robbery (1903). He may have bitten off more than he could chew in the effort to translate McCay’s unstable comic strip dreamworld into a live-action feature; nevertheless, we have to respect the attempt. While McCay’s universe of the surreal was limited only by his imagination and skill as an artist, Porter had to overcome the technical limitations of an artform still in its infancy. In the end, Porter’s experimentation with the camera tricks invented by Georges Melies and others produced a film that etched out possibilities for cinema to reject depictions of the stable, known world and embrace unpredictability.

Film historian Kevin Brownlow reveals on the Unseen Cinema DVD that Porter’s movie was inspired by Reve a la Lune (Pathe, 1905), and, in turn, Dream's unusual subject matter (the world of dreams) and creative use of stop-motion, multiple exposure, swish-pans, matte shots, and other effects invited other filmmakers down the road of experimentation ( Victor Fleming’s When the Clouds Roll By (1919), for example). The thread of avant-garde cinema, then, stretches back to Porter and his contemporaries.

So, what occurs in the Rarebit Fiend’s dream? While the Edison Military Band plays the march-like tune “The Dream of a Rarebit Fiend,” Porter opens with a medium shot of the Rarebit Fiend voraciously feasting on the titular dish at a restaurant, and washing it down with plenty of (in fact he’s two-fisting) Bass ale. There are seven or eight empty bottles on the table and, still unsatisfied, he opens yet another.

Now reeling in drunkenness, the Fiend staggers outside and holds onto a streetlamp for dear life while the world around him spins out of control. A dizzying multiple-exposure combined with swish-pan (see photo left) makes us feels as disoriented as he must.

Somehow the drunkard manages to get home, climb into bed and fall into a deep sleep. What follows is the dream of a rarebit fiend, a nightmare trip through an overindulged mind.

A weakness in Porter’s film becomes painfully obvious during the ending. As mentioned above, upon waking the victim of a traumatic rarebit nightmare laments the culinary overindulgence of the previous evening. Unfortunately, Porter’s picture is bereft of both dialogue (silent era, of course) and intertitles. Thus the punchline of McCay’s strip, that droll expression of regret, is never expressed. As a result, the film finds no resolution; we’re left wondering if the fiend has learned a lesson or no. However, a satisfying narrative is less essential here than in Porter’s other work because Dream of a Rarebit Fiend is more about visual experimentation than storytelling.

Edwin S. Porter gets credit for helping to develop narrative cinema, but he deserves a nod for pioneering avant-garde techniques as well. Dream of a Rarebit Fiend provided other filmmakers with an inspiring glimpse at the expanding potential of cinema. Experimental filmmaking did not begin with Porter’s effects movie, but it did get an early influential push in the right direction.

Now, go toast some rarebit and read more about the experiments of the avant-garde at the Avant-Garde Blog-A-Thon. Careful with that ale, Eugene.

This essay written by Thom Ryan
© 2006 Thom Ryan Some rights reserved

Comments

[jmac]

T. I really want to see this film! Is it on the Unseen Cinema DVD? I love this surreal dreamlike imagery. This inspires me!

[Thom]

Hi, J. Yep, it's on Unseen Cinema, disc 2 along with When the Clouds Roll By which has a life sized rarebit, onion and mince pie chase Douglas Fairbanks while he runs up a wall and dances on the ceiling! This stuff is priceless.

[Squish]

"holds onto a streetlamp for dear life while the world around him spins out of control."

Certainly the best part of this film. I was in awe as the man held on to a pole for dear life which was quite obviously in the midst of a treacherous storm... on a sunny downtown street...

This has to be one of my (many) favorite films of "Edison: The Invention Of The Movies". Not only do we have split screening where he's flying around perilously above the city, but there's demons attacking his head, surreal dream-scapes and treacherous situations too. Not bad for a short film!

[Maya]

What an intriguing write-up. I love your tie-in with Winsor McCay, precisely because John Canemaker--who won this year's Oscar for "The Moon and the Sun"--is scheduled to promote his new book on McCay at the Pacific Film Archives later this month. You've provided insight.

http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa_programs/johncanemaker/index.html

[Thom]

You flatter me, Michael, thank you. Any chance that you'll attend Canemaker's appearance and share the experience at The Evening Class? I just recently discovered McCay through researching Porter's film, and a DVD of his animations is on its way via Netflix; Canemaker's book will make a perfect companion. Looks like I'll have to stop at Powell's tomorrow. Thanks again.

[Maya]

I'm actually scheduled to interview Canemaker, if he's in the mood. Anything you want me to ask him?

[Thom]

What an absolutely cool thing to offer. OK, here's a couple of questions for Canemaker if you have the time/opportunity to ask:

1. His book on McCay was originally published in 1987. Why release a new edition now? What is added? Anything replaced with new information, etc.

2. How about his method(s) of research? How did he go about collecting information about McCay and his work?

*** Any research tips are always welcome ***

3. Who (else) is an expert on McCay? Any other recommended books, articles, etc.

4. (This one is probably covered in the book, but we might get even more info) Was the notion of a "rarebit fiend," around before McCay? It seems so esoteric and yet he made one of his most influential and creative strips, not to mention four animated films, out of it. He seems confident that his readers would know what he's talking about with the whole rarebit-overindulgence-equals-nightmares scenario. What is the origin of the rarebit fiend concept?

Based on the well done interviews on your blog, I'm confident that you'll have the rest covered :) Thanks, Michael

[Maya]

Thom, thank you for your suggested questions. Unfortunately, I only had so much time to speak with him and was not able to ask him everything I was hoping to. During my research, however, I did come up with some of the answers to your questions.

The new edition is essentially a centenary tribute. Although I didn't ask him directly, I did read in another interview that the primary differences between the two editions is compensation for what has fallen into public domain. A lot of material now available by public domain was removed from the book and replaced with more rare material. He did mention that he had the opportunity, for example, to interview McCay's tracing assistant, that sort of thing. Further, he was granted access to some of McCay's personal diaries and letters, which had not originally been made available.

As for methodology, Canemaker reminds me very much of myself. He enjoys research and he enjoys interviewing and, between the two, cobbles a notable effect.

As for other scholars on McCay, my understanding is that Canemaker's treatment is definitive. In my Evening Class write-ups, the links will lead you to other interviews and, within those interviews, you might find some references to explore.

I didn't get a chance to ask him directly about the rarebit meme, but, it appears to have already been in place and was primarily a cautionary formula against adult overindulgences. Further, it leans into the idea that our dreams are directly related to what we eat. A nightmare could be something as simple in origin as an undigested potato. Which is to say, I guess, before Freud stepped in to suggest that dreams could be the expression of repressed energies, nightmares were seen as the result of gastrinomic overindulgences.

Anyways, I hope that answers your questions somewhat. I did exchange addresses with Canemaker so, if correspondence develops between us, I'll be sure to be more direct.

[Thom]

You've gone above and beyond (again), Michael. So far, this has been my favorite film to talk about and explore. It's amazing how many connections stem from one film. Thanks again.

[Thom]

André at the Alternative Film Guide shares the news that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor the films of 1906—including Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend. Get the full scoop and see what other flicks from 1906 will receive some well-deserved recognition at the AFG.

[toothpick_tp]

I'm fond of film, especially old ones. You have described this film with such enthusiasm, so I've decided to watch it. (If I find it).

[Thom]

Thank you, toothpick_tp. You can find it on Disc 2 of the Unseen Cinema DVD collection. Hope you enjoy it.