Summary

What for some audiences may be a delightful introduction, and others a fresh re-discovery, The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers offers a rare portal into the imagination of one of the great innovators and creators of early cinema. Featuring new 2K transfers and new discoveries never been seen before, Flicker Alley, in association with Lobster Films and Blackhawk Films®, invite you to experience the genius of cartoonist, animator, director, and comedian Charley Bowers.

Beginning as an animator in 1915, Bowers soon turned to mixing live-action with puppet animation, producing a score of mini-masterpieces, often featuring himself (billed in France as Bricolo). Forgotten for decades, a few of these films were miraculously rediscovered in the late 1960s by archivist Raymond Borde of the Toulouse Cinémathèque in France. Over the past ten years, thanks to additional materials from the Library of Congress, Národní filmový archiv, EYE Film Institute, Cinémathèque française, MoMA, and many other archives and collectors throughout the world, the legacy of Charley Bowers has been brought back to life using the most recent restoration technologies. Lobster Films scanned the best available sources with their original intertitles, and performed an extensive digital restoration of each short. Featuring recent additions to the previous 2015 release, The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers includes new scores from Donald Sosin, Antonio Coppola, and Neil Brand. This is a gift for comedy lovers and animation enthusiasts of all ages!

Produced over the course of more than two decades, this collection of short comedies, presented with optional French and English subtitles, include:

An Introduction by Serge Bromberg
1. Egged On (1926, 23 mins)
2. He Done His Best (1926, 23 mins)
3. Fatal Footsteps (1926, 23 mins)
4. Now You Tell One (1926, 21 mins)
5. Many a Slip (1927, 22 mins)
6. There It Is (1928, 22 mins)
7. It’s a Bird (1930, 15 mins)

The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers is available on DCP, Blu-ray & Streaming

For more information about renting The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers for your theater, please fill out the Request Screening form or click on the button below.

Reviews

A must-see for anyone even mildly interested in silent comedy and animation.”

“One need only watch a single Bowers short from the 1920s to become a follower, if not a proselytizer.”

“I can only imagine the time and effort that went into making these films look as good as they do.”

– Leonard Maltin

“Maybe the most esoteric release on this list is also potentially its most rewarding… The Extraordinary
World Of Charley Bowers is one of the most exciting Flicker Alley releases yet this year.”

“…endlessly energetic, and it’s thrilling to see Bowers as a craftsman and also in
the iconic Bricolo role that would, upon their release, make him a superstar.”

– Criterion Cast