Luis Martinetti was a contortionist from Italy. In this short piece, he carries out one of his routines, and if you weren't impressed by Hadj Cherriff, you will be by this guy! His act alone is of interest because you can tell that what he's doing ain't easy at all. You have to have a special limberness to do that and clearly he does. While most people today won't be interested in novelties like this, the act will interest some even if the historical interest isn't clear. The Unitard which Martinetti performs in is also a good choice as it makes it almost dazzling to watch him twist around and around. Less than 20 secs, no waste of time, and still watchable because it's more interesting than seeing a baby being fed. Martinetti is forgotten now but it's good the Edison Company made this movie about him.

Or it's probably just a mix between sports and entertainment. Mr. Luis Martinetti from Italy is a great athlete though and his flexibility has reached a degree that most of us can only dream of. Although we probably wouldn't even want it. Nonetheless the mustached protagonists shows us some of his highlights and occasionally it almost hurt watching. Sometimes dancers, artists or athletes starred in Dickson's films and went into oblivion, but Martinetti has his name in the film's title and will always be in people's minds and deservingly so, even if he appeared in nothing else but this short-film. Nice costume choice from him too and it's worth a watch by silent film lovers.

. . . or an Ode to the Cheshire Cat? This 16.03-second short begins with a somewhat limber guy grasping his feet with his hands as he hangs from the gymnastics apparatus known as the "Flying Rings." He has his head tucked neatly between his feet, like something out of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Luis Martinetti is dressed in a white and dark lightning-striped Unitard, with each of his thighs poking through a 12-inch iron ring, leaving his teeny tiny butt against the back of his head! Next, he releases his feet and puts his hands on the lower outside quadrant of each ring. After briefly centering himself upright, he leans back and positions himself sideways--head to the left--and does four gyrations, holding his right heel with his left hand while clasping the bottom of the left ring with his right hand as the inside of his left leg is held up by the bottom of the right ring. (Do NOT try this at home!!) Luis than slowly dissolves from our view, just like the grin of Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat!

Luis Martinetti, Contortionist (1894) This early Edison kinetoscope isn't going to be for most people but if you're a fan of early cinema then it holds enough historical interest to make it worth viewing. Luis Martinetti, forgotten today, shows what he can do on the flying rings as his acrobatic act is put on film for people to be able to view over a hundred years after it was made. While watching these very small movies I often wonder what those who took part in it would think if they were brought back and told that film buffs would still be viewing these films all these decades later. At just 25-seconds no one should be expecting any type of "story" or "performance" but that really doesn't matter but what's so interesting here is the bit of history we the viewer get to see. Martinetti is certainly forgotten today but thanks to Edison we at least get to see someone who people back in the day enjoyed and flocked to see. The film basically features him doing a few tricks on the flying rings and that's it. Nothing ground-breaking but it's still fascinating for fans of early cinema.