Name: An Obstinate Cork
Genre: Short
Rating: 3.4
Cast: Dan Leno

A corking effort, but really a home movie.

Dan Leno (that's "LEE"-no, not "Len-no") was an under-sized man but a huge star at London's Drury Lane Theatre. Adept at clog-dancing and patter songs, his comedy routines typically had Leno attempting some simple task but failing dismally, gradually complicating his efforts and failing more spectacularly. 

Never try to guess a film's content by its title! When I learnt that Leno had made a film cried "An Obstinate Cork", I assumed that this would be a screen record of one of his comedy turns ... with Leno making increasingly slapstick attempts to open a bottle of wine or beer. No, even better: champagne, because (when the bottle eventually opens) the bubbly will foam all over the place.

In the event, I guessed right about the champagne but wrong otherwise. This film isn't even a comedy; by modern standards, it's really more of a home movie. Leno wore elaborate costumes on stage (often including female drag in dame roles), but here we see him in his normal offstage appearance: in a frock coat and stock collar, with his hair neatly parted down the centre. Standing beside him is his real-life wife Sarah Reynolds: she had danced in Victorian music-halls under the stage name Lydia, but she was never remotely as popular as Leno. In this film, she's dressed in a demure shirtwaist, with her hair tucked into a severe chignon; her husband is clearly the more glamorous figure.

Mr and Mrs Leno are standing outdoors in Clapham Park, near their home. Leno attempts to open a bottle of champers, but it gives him some bottle right back. He struggles a bit, and it eventually opens. Skoal!

That's it. To watch this film, you would never suspect what a major entertainer Leno was in the decade before his untimely death. Leno had an extremely expressive face, capable of being both comic and tragic at the same time. In this movie, when he briefly grimaces with the effort of his task, it's not clear whether Leno is mugging for comic effect or expressing honest emotion.

The American Biograph film studio were notorious for inserting their "B" logo into the backgrounds of their film sets, to establish artistic ownership and discourage other exhibitors from creating pirated prints. I looked for a similar "B" in this British Mutoscope & Biograph movie -- viewing a print pirated by Kinora (no relation to Kia-Ora) -- but I couldn't find anything comparable.

More for its historic significance than for any actual hilarity, I'll rate "An Obstinate Cork" 7 out of 10.

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Dan Leno and his wife celebrating the anniversary of their wedding day.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Clapham Park, Clapham, London, England, UK

An Obstinate Cork

Photos

Cast1

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed