The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
| The Mystery of the Leaping Fish | |
|---|---|
 Reissue theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by | Anita Loos (intertitles) |
| Story by | Tod Browning |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John W. Leezer |
| Distributed by | Triangle Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is a 1916 American short silent comedy film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Bessie Love. The film was directed by John Emerson, and is based on a story written by Tod Browning.[1] Anita Loos wrote the film's intertitles.[2]
A 35mm print of the film still exists in its entirety and is currently in the public domain.[3]
Overview
In this unusually broad comedy for Fairbanks, the acrobatic leading man plays "Coke Ennyday," a cocaine-shooting detective parody of Sherlock Holmes (a self-injecting cocaine addict in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1890 novel The Sign of Four) given to injecting himself with cocaine from a bandolier of syringes worn across his chest and liberally helping himself to the contents of a hatbox-sized round container of white powder labeled "COCAINE" on his desk.[1]
Fairbanks otherwise lampoons Sherlock Holmes with checkered detective hat, coat, and even car, along with the aforementioned propensity for injecting cocaine whenever he feels momentarily down, then laughing with delight. In addition to observing visitors at his door on what appears to be a closed-circuit television referred to in the title cards as his "scientific periscope," a clock-like sign on the wall reminds him to choose between "EATS, DRINKS, SLEEPS, and DOPE".
The film displays a lighthearted and comic attitude toward Coke Ennyday's use of cocaine and laudanum (a tincture of opium), but condemns the act of smuggling opium which is done by Asian gang members in the film.[4]
Cast
- Douglas Fairbanks ... Coke Ennyday
- Bessie Love ... The Little Fish Blower
- Alma Rubens ... His Female Accomplice
- Allan Sears ... Gent Rolling in Wealth (billed as A.D. Sears)
- Charles Stevens ... Japanese Accomplice
- Tom Wilson ... Police Chief I.M. Keene
- George Hall ... Japanese Accomplice (uncredited)
- William Lowery ... Gang leader (uncredited)
- Joe Murphy ... Footman on vehicle (uncredited)
- B.F. Zeidman ... Scenario editor (uncredited)
Themes
"Leaping Fish" was released in 1916, the same decade as the Harrison Act. Narcotic prohibition was still a new idea in the United States, and the use of opiates and cocaine was much more socially acceptable than today. Furthermore, the censorious Hayes Code would not be instituted for another 14 years after this film's release. With the introduction of the code, depictions of intravenous drug use would become impossible to include in a major motion picture. Intravenous (IV) drug use as slapstick would be not just impossible, but it would be unthinkable - and would remain so for decades.
While the Hayes Code has long since been abolished, IV drug use has become even less socially acceptable over time. That said, it is no longer taboo, prima facie, to include the use of drugs in film. In fact, today there are multiple genres of films dealing with the topic. One such genre is the addiction film. With very few exceptions, this is the only kind of film a modern viewer can expect to see the use of IV drugs. Addiction films are morality plays that illustrate the degradation that surrounds the use of such drugs.[5] Basketball Diaries, Christiane F., Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream are examples of this medium.
"Leaping Fish" turns this convention on its head. Not only is our protagonist a shameless IV drug user, he suffers no ill effects from his drug use and uses drugs to solve the thematic conflict of the plot. Coke Ennyday makes no attempt to abstain, nor does he so much as express the desire to do so. In Hollywood films, such a character must either be homeless and near-death or must not exist. Not only does Coke Ennyday defy these conventions, it refuses to take the prohibitionist narrative seriously by framing the story as a comedy.
The plot of "Leaping Fish" has what appears to be internal conflicted. While Coke Ennyday harmlessly revels in his consequence-free use of drugs, exposing opium traffickers is the point of his investigation. How is the viewer supposed to interpret this apparent-mixed message? There is little option but to view Coke's hijinks as innocent while the traffickers are guilty. After all, Coke is shameless and carefree, while the traffickers are ominous and conspiratorial. Coke is clearly the "good guy": the film ignores that Coke may very well have purchased his own laudunum from the same traffickers he "busts". Somewhat ironically, since the production of "Leaping Fish", the idea that drug addicts are innocent while drug dealers are evil has become a long-standing trope among films that touch on drugs as a theme with a much more serious tone. There are numerous modern examples. New Jack City, in which struggling drug addict Pookie is depicted as largely the victim of circumstance and manipulated by more self-interested characters while Nino Brown, the film's pre-eminent drug dealer, is depicted as a ruthless, egomaniacal killer who is completely beyond redemption. The Wire is another example, albeit one shot for television rather than theaters, that is widely lauded for its realism. Out of a show populated by dozens upon dozens of diverse characters, homeless drug addict "Bubbles" is one of a very small number of characters who not only survives all five seasons, but finds spiritual redemption as well as an improved relationship with his family and better employment. In addition to Bubbles' positive development arc, he is also shown to be a down-to-earth and sensitive character who cares deeply for his friends and makes a number of dangerous sacrifices for them, despite being in the depths of a severe heroin addiction (its also worth noticing how each of these addicts: Coke Ennyday, Pookie and Bubbles, all have foolish clown names, even though only one of these characters is from a comedy). By comparison, drug traffickers Marlo Stanfield, "Stringer" Bell and Avon Barksdale are shown to be manipulative, sadistic and (with few exceptions) are completely without scruple, willing to murder or sacrifice completely loyal subordinates and innocent bystanders with very little pretense. When the audience is introduced to Stanfield, Bell and Barksdale, they are wealthy, powerful and respected. By the end of the show all of them has completely lost their drug dealing business and its associated power, one is dead and one is in prison.
All of the classic US drug propaganda films fit this mold, as well. See 1966's "Seduction of the Innocent" with Sid Davis or the famous "Reefer Madness".
In the United States, drug policy has begun a slow and steady shift toward legalization and decriminalization of at least some kinds of drugs, such as marijuana. Even with so-called "harder" drugs like crack cocaine, penalties for personal possession are being reduced from life-destroying draconian prison terms to slightly shorter life-destroying draconian prison terms. Without exception, these reforms carry no reduction in penalties for those supplying the same drugs. Even in states where marijuana is completely legal for recreational use, those producing and selling marijuana are frequently arrested by the Federal government. In summary, it appears as though the current attitude towards drug policy reform is not in favor of ending prohibition, but of refocusing law enforcement priorities so that drug dealers are arrested while drug users are offered treatment and rehabilitation. It remains unclear whether this approach toward drug policy has been subtly informed by the "innocent addict/evil dealer" trope previously discussed. It is just as possible that the trope was created as a response to popular beliefs. Or perhaps the truth is somewhere in between: that in fact there is a complex interplay between popular opinion and oft-repeated themes presented to us on screen.
Production
Running a total of 25 minutes, the film was initially shot by Christy Cabanne who was later fired from the production.[6][7] John Emerson was hired and re-shot the film with the help of Tod Browning.[7]
Reception
The film was a departure for Fairbanks due to the subject matter and the fact that he generally appeared in feature films, not two-reelers. The Mystery of Leaping Fish was the second film Fairbanks did with director John Emerson, their first being His Picture in the Papers (released in February 1916) which was a hit.[8]
While The Mystery of Leaping Fish is now considered something of a cult film due its comic dealings of drug use,[9][10] Fairbanks hated the film and reportedly wanted to have it withdrawn from circulation.[7]
Musician and film director Rob Zombie has stated that he "really love[s]" The Mystery of the Leaping Fish.[11]
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish was featured in an episode of the documentary series Birth of Hollywood.[12]
References
- ^ a b Basinger, Jeanine (2000). Silent Stars. Wesleyan University Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-819-56451-6.
- ^ Cherchi Usai, Paolo; Bowser, Eileen (2005). Cherchi Usai, Paolo (ed.). The Griffith Project: Volume 9: Films Produced in 1916-1918. British Film Institute. p. 103. ISBN 1-844-57097-5.
- ^ The Mystery of the Leaping Fish at silentera.com
- ^ Deflem, Mathieu, ed. (2010). Popular Culture, Crime and Social Control. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 1-849-50733-3.
- ^ Stevenson, Jack (2000). Addicted: The Myth and Menace of Drugs in Film. Creation Books. ISBN 1-84068-023-7.
- ^ Soister, John T. (2012). American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. McFarland. p. 159. ISBN 0-786-48790-9.
- ^ a b c Vance, Jeffrey (2008). Cushman, Robert (ed.). Douglas Fairbanks. University of California Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-520-25667-0.
- ^ Eagan, Daniel (2010). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 61. ISBN 0-826-42977-7.
- ^ Vance 2008 p.35
- ^ Lombardi, Frederic (2013). Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 0-786-43485-6.
- ^ Fortune, Doug (31 October 2013). "Rob Zombie on loving any and all silent movies". A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
There's another film that we screened that night that I really love called Mystery Of The Leaping Fish. Have you seen that one? [...] It's this really weird movie with Douglas Fairbanks. He plays this character, if you can believe this, called Coke Ennyday. He's like a Sherlock Holmes-type character, but all he does is massive amounts of coke throughout the movie, and never solves a crime.
- ^ "Episode 2". Birth of Hollywood. Season 1. Episode 2. 3 June 2011. BBC. BBC Two. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
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External links
- The Mystery of the Leaping Fish at IMDb
- The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- "The Mystery of the Leaping Fish" on YouTube
