While D. W. Griffith is known primarily for his lengthy, three-hour films "Birth of a Nation" and its successor, "Intolerance", he's also known for what appears to be his shortest film, created in 1909. "Those Awful Hats" is pretty simple compared to other films of Griffith's, and there is hardly any plot. However, it does contain some well-executed special effects for its time, and as a whole makes the most of a simple situation in less than four minutes.
In "Those Awful Hats", some men are trying to watch a movie in the theater, which is cleverly superimposed on the wall to create a picture-in-picture effect. What happens in the film within the film is hardly the focus of the movie however, as a number of women wearing ridiculously crafted hats enter the theater and proceed to block the view of those behind them. The premise is creative and the film as a whole could be considered an early bit of social commentary cleverly disguised as a comedy, as a title card afterwards states "Ladies, please remove your hats". A fun bit of cinema although nothing compared to the later works of this great director.
In "Those Awful Hats", some men are trying to watch a movie in the theater, which is cleverly superimposed on the wall to create a picture-in-picture effect. What happens in the film within the film is hardly the focus of the movie however, as a number of women wearing ridiculously crafted hats enter the theater and proceed to block the view of those behind them. The premise is creative and the film as a whole could be considered an early bit of social commentary cleverly disguised as a comedy, as a title card afterwards states "Ladies, please remove your hats". A fun bit of cinema although nothing compared to the later works of this great director.