Dir: James Bamforth
1899
****
Ladies' Skirts Nailed to a Fence has quite a fascinating history to it. Not only was it lost for many years, when it was discovered it was thought to be just a harmless comedy sketch dated at around 1900. Further investigations have since suggested that it is in fact a short by James Bamforth and a misogynist comment on Women's liberation. What at first looks like a simple comedy involving two young men nailing a couple of gossiping women's skirts to a fence, is in fact a swipe and mockery at a young political civil rights movement. An unfortunate but important historical document of the time and a reminder that investigation and context is always imperative.
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