February 16, 1910
Release Date

5.9

The Acrobatic Fly (1910)

Name: The Acrobatic Fly
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1910-02-16

Running Time

February 16, 1910
Release Date

External Links & Social Media

Plot.

Propped upon the tail-end of a match, a housefly performs astonishing feats, alternately juggling a series of objects - a blade of grass, a cork, a miniature dumbbell… Most extraordinary of all is the sequence in which the fly spins a ball twice its own size, while a second fly perches on top. In the final sequence, the fly repeats some of its earlier tricks while apparently seated on a tiny chair.

Where to Watch.

No streaming offers found

Cast & Crew.

F. Percy Smith

Director

Charles Urban

Producer

Details.

Release Date
February 16, 1910

Status
Released

Running Time
3m

Genres
Documentary

Last updated: 2023-11-13

This Movie Is About.

animal

silent film

insect

Wiki.

The Acrobatic Fly (also known as The Balancing Bluebottle) is a 1910 British short silent documentary film, directed by F. Percy Smith, featuring close-ups of a housefly secured to the head of a match and juggling objects with its feet. The film, "is one of a series of Smith films on similar subjects around this time," and according to Mark Duguid of the BFI is, "near identical to, though briefer than, a sequence in his 1911 release The Strength and Agility of Insects."