‘THE GREAT ROB RING’ FLATPACK FILM FESTIVAL APPLICATION: THE WORLDS FIRST SNUFF FILM
‘The Great Rob Ring’
chris+keir would like to produce a tribute and epitaph to ‘The Great Rob Ring’. While Chris was studying for a degree in Film at Warwick University he wrote his final dissertation on Tom Gunning’s concept of ‘The Cinema of Attractions’ and the great Canadian Vaudeville star Rob Ring. During the 1890’s Rob Ring was widely recognised as Canada’s premier Vaudeville star. Renowned for his dangerous and physical slapstick stage act, Rob Ring was the Vaudeville superstar par excellance. Unfortunately, ‘The Great Rob Ring’ failed to make the transition from Vaudeville to early motion pictures. Whilst many Vaudeville performers found that their stage acts simply didn’t hold up on the big screen, Rob Ring’s stage act would have undoubtably proved perfect for an audience experiencing the thrill of cinema for the first time. Tragically though, Rob Ring died on the set of the filming of his first motion picture. Trying to recreate his signature stage act - standing on top of a piece of wood whilst sawing it in half from a great height - he landed awkwardly and broke his neck. Whilst the film of this no longer exists, a few grainy stills are in circulation (shown to Chris by one of his professors at Warwick) fueling the apocryphal legend that is ‘The Great Rob Ring’. At the time it was suggested that Rob Ring had the potential to be the cinema’s first great ‘Star’ - (he was also affectionately known in vaudeville as ‘the dancer’ for his extravagent dance pieces that lasted for hours). Because of this and in tribute to what could have been,chris+keir would like to re-create on video Rob Ring’s signature stage act within the theoretical framework of Tom Gunning’s notion of ‘The Cinema of Attractions’. Gunning’s influential essay ‘The Cinema of Attractions’ seeks to conceptualise early cinema as radically different from post-Griffith narrative hegemony. Gunning tries to undo previous primitive assumptions regarding early cinema history, arguing that early cinema shouldn’t be examined under the rubric of narrative. Early cinema is about the ’attraction’ of cinema, where spectacle reigns supreme: it invites spectators to be amazed. Narrative is secondary to the amazing power of the cinematic, of films ability to show something spectacular. As Gunning notes:
The attraction invokes an exhibitionist rather than a voyeuristic regime. The attraction directly addresses the spectator, acknowledging the viewer’s presence and seeking to quickly satisfy a curiosity. This encounter can take on an aggressive aspect, as the attraction confronts audiences and even tries to shock them.
With the ‘The Cinema of Attractions’ as a basic theoretical framework, chris+keir would like to re-create Rob Ring’s signature stage act, bringing it to the world’s attention for the first time in tribute - and as an epitaph - to ‘The Great Rob Ring’. The final piece within the context of a shop window would involve:
- Monitor with re-creation of Rob Ring’s signature stage act - standing on top of a piece of wood whilst sawing it in half from a great height - safely produced (but staying within the aesthetic of early cinema - static camera; fourth wall; no editing).
- Copies of the original stills (hopefully if we can get them from Warwick; otherwise we will create a mock-up).
- Giant early cinema style letter press poster promoting ‘The Great Rob Ring’ (produced at Chelsea College of Art where we have access to a letter press).
- Text explaining the story and myth of Rob Ring.
