Watch His Great Uncle's Spirit

Rapid advancement in film technique is seen in HIS GREAT UNCLE'S SPIRIT. Especially in the opening theater sequence, and in the climactic "transformation" sequence, several different shots are edited together to create a fluid, dynamic scene. Cinematography shows the first spark of flexibility with a couple of tilting movements. There is a new energy in direction with strong fore-to-back staging. There are also some insert close-ups and some relatively unusual medium close-ups of action. Despite all the stylistic skill, the story is the entertainment, about a vaudeville magician down on his luck, who takes a secretarial job and uses magic tricks to transform his mean skinflint boss into a generous man. Ben Model's expert organ accompaniment indicates how effective the music can be in, among other things, foiling the most extremely emotive silent movie acting.

His Great Uncle's Spirit is a 1912 drama with a runtime of 14 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.5.