User Reviews

This 1918 public information animation from Marius O'Galop has the look of a comic strip, albeit a rather gruesome one in parts. Tuberculosis is a skeleton with a bellows who blows its disease over a skeletal clerical type who doesn't have the strength to resist regardless of the pills and potions he takes. The skeleton's next potential victim is a rotund but strong chap who, when the disease is blown into his face, whacks the skeleton with his punch-bag and laughs in death's face. When the skeleton comes back for another try, he's met by a pair of dumbbells, and then by a sound thrashing from the rotund chap's fists. It's an entertaining little film which, if 1918's audiences were anything like today's, probably made no impression whatsoever.

Pour résister à la tuberculose (1918)

*** (out of 4)

Warning film from the French animator tells how weak men will catch tuberculosis while those stronger will be able to fight it off. In the film we see a weak man drinking alcohol who has a skeleton walk up behind him and spray him with tuberculosis. The skeleton then tries to shoot it on a boxer but it doesn't work. This is yet another strange film from O'Galop who certainly has a strange way of getting a point across. Even though this is only my second film of his, I can tell he is set in his ways and will do whatever it takes to get his point across. The point here is to exercise everyday or you will die. The animation is what really stands out and I loved the way the skeleton tries to act with the humans. The way the skeleton creeps up on people was quite nice as was all the background stuff. The animation was quite good and it kept me entertained from start to finish. The actual story is over the top but it does manage to bring a camp feel to the movie.