Natnal Film Prervatn Foundatn: The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903)

Contents:

• THE GAY SHOE CLERK (1903) A SILENT FILM REVIEW
• THE GAY SHOE CLERK
• WATCH THE GAY SHOE CLERK ONLE
• THE GAY SHOE CLERK

THE GAY SHOE CLERK (1903) A SILENT FILM REVIEW

The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903). In addn to s social fascatns, the three-shot Gay Shoe Clerk, filmed by Edw S. The male moviegoer watchg The Gay Shoe Clerk gets the pleasure of a forbidn close view, while punishment is meted out to someone else—a cematic pattern wh a long life.

THE GAY SHOE CLERK

Of urse, at that time “gay” referred only to his vil-may-re impetuons. The morn meang giv untend irony to The Gay Shoe Clerk, whose “young woman” was played by one of Edison’s male employe. Two piec have been laced together: at the start, to set a gay mood, a lively stra om Stt Jopl’s “Eugenia” (1905); next, for the close-up flirtatn, kiss, and illy vlent aftermath, the very “h” song “Hello!

The Gay Shoe Clerk was prerved om an origal negative, part of the large llectn of 450 early Edison tl donated to MoMA 1940. For analysis of the reprentatn of women early films such as The Gay Shoe Clerk, see Judh Mayne, The Woman at the Keyhole (Indiana Universy Prs, 1990).

WATCH THE GAY SHOE CLERK ONLE

As Stt Simmon stat his scriptn of the film, “Of urse, at that time “gay” referred only to his vil-may-re impetuons. The Gay Shoe Clerk was directed by Edw S. (There’s some scholarly bate as to whether the shot The Gay Shoe Clerk is narrative or an attractn meant merely to showse the ankle.

THE GAY SHOE CLERK

However, I should mentn that both The Sick Kten and The Gay Shoe Clerk e the closp a more morn manner as they do not require the motivatn of a telpe or magnifyg glass or anythg else as an exce to brg the viewer for a closer look. It uld be argued that The Gay Shoe Clerk’s closp is a pot-of-view shot but do not align wh the clerk’s le of sight and is clearly prent for the benef of the dience.