This early British comedy is fairly entertaining on first viewing but doesn't hold up well to scrutiny upon repeated screenings. That's not really a criticism of the film itself as the state of the nascent industry back in 1903.
Others here have praised George Albert Albert Smith for his innovative techniques in film making, and deservedly so. His experiments form the visual basis of modern screen grammar.
After a mishap with the boot blacking, a young woman uses paraffin to light the stove with fantastic, and fatal, results. George Albert Smith's silly four minute opus was quite a sophisticated film for the time, with scene changes, close-ups, split-screen, dissolves, and special effects (double exposures and substitution splices).
I watched this film on a DVD that was rammed with short films from the period. I didn't watch all of them as the main problem with these type of things that their value is more in their historical novelty value rather than entertainment.
George Albert Smith was one of cinema's most important pioneers--laying down much of the foundation of film grammar, including helping to introduce the multi-shot film, parallel action, the close-up, point-of-view shots, some trick photography effects, and other elements of editing and camera positioning. A good number of his innovations are on display in this short film, "Mary Jane's Mishap".
This film is cute and watchable even today--and that's something you CAN'T say about many of the very early movies--particularly those of George Albert Smith. Most films of the day are of pretty mundane topics or are only about one or two minutes long.
This famous black comedy was, sadly, the last film by early cinema pioneer, G.A.
George Albert Smith directed this rather silly comedy starring his wife playing a bucktoothed maid who lights the stove with paraffin. It is a very creative film for 1903 and using special effects and some very funny acting, it works very well.
