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Synopsis: A pig dressed in fancy clothes flirts with a pretty girl, but she humiliates him and tears off his suit; she then makes him dance for her affections.

Le cochon danseur is a truly bizarre offering from Pathe, based apparently on a popular vaudeville act, which provides a different perspective on what amused theatre and cinema audiences in the early years of the 20th century. The film basically consists of a simple dance routine, but one in which the dance partners are a saucy and fetching young lady and an overweight human-size pig. The pig obviously has a thing for the girl, but she takes advantage of his infatuation to strip him naked and make him dance with her. Strangely enough, Porky doesn’t seem to mind too much once he overcomes his initial shyness. The most striking moments come at the end of the film when we’re treated to a close up view of the pig in a dinner suit. He grins and leers and bears his teeth at the audience in a bizarre scene that really is likely to give young children nightmares.

(Reviewed 22nd July 2009)