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Undescribable Perfection

Just what I expected

The acting in this movie is really good.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

"How a Mosquito Operates" is a 5.5-minute short film from 1912, so this one is already way over 100 years old. The writer and director here is animation pioneer Winsor McCay from the United States. looking at the year when this was made, nobody should be surprised that this is a silent black-and-white film. It is the story of a little mosquito (as the title already says) who is getting ready for his meal on a sleeping human. And he seems to be a true professional. Of course, this film has not scientific value, but it is all about the comedy and about exploring the new genre of animation for McCay. He was 40 already when he made it and still it is one of his earliest works. It is of course tough to appreciate this one with the level of animation we have today, but everything has to start somewhere right? And we need to be glad that McCay clearly inspired the filmmakers that gave us the Golden Age of Animation a couple decades later. All in all, I would nonetheless say that this one is only for the most hardcore animation lovers or for film historians. Everybody else will probably not really get anything out of the watch.

How a Mosquito Operates (1912) *** (out of 4) Winsor McCay film has an overweight man being followed home by a mosquito but things just get worse as the man tries to go to bed. Once in the bed the mosquito begins to attack him in order to get his blood. HOW A MOSQUITO OPERATES isn't a pure masterpiece or anything like that but you can't help but be entertained by his good nature and charm. I think my favorite bits are when the mosquito is having to come up with clever ways to stick the man who after a couple previous times decided to get up under the covers. The animation is extremely good and this includes a sequence where we see the mosquito sticking the man and drawing out the blood. The scene where the mosquito sticks the man's nose is quite painful to watch but it really brings the film to life. What struck me most about the film is the way it's animated but McCay is able to make everything appear so real that you're drawn into the film just like it was live action. The animation looks incredibly good and the two characters are likable in their own way.

I must thank the great Britanic film director Mike Leigh for including this animated film between his Top 10 films of all time otherwise I wouldn't know about it and see how cool this is. And the strangest thing is that is quite rare you see a film director or a actor quoting a animation as one of his favorites films. Why "How a Mosquito Operates" is so fascinating? It's simplicity, originality and the way it was made makes this animation one of the most interesting ever made. Released in 1912 (yes, on the same year the Titanic sank) this short animated film tells in a very charming and funny way the story of a hunger mosquito that flies away into the apartment of a man only to suck his blood. This situation probably happened to everybody, we are sleeping or trying to sleep and then a mosquito appears bugging us, biting us, flying all around. So here's a film that present us a simple story yet very funny to watch. The techniques employed here are very good, making this film very good to look at even today in a sophisticated era whose animated films have the best techniques, the most interesting stories and all of that. The way the story was told was incredibly original, using comical effects (the mosquito doesn't fly to get into the apartment, he climbs the door and enters into a passage, very funny moment) and believe me it's great for educational purposes. If a kid asks you how and why a mosquito operates instead of telling a boring and long conversation about the issue show to the kid this animation. It will present some education and laughs at the same time. Director and creator of "How a Mosquito Operates" (AKA "The Story of a Mosquito") Winsor McCay made a wonderful job here. So everyone here's another must see film. 10/10

Okay, I'll admit this isn't the greatest cartoon ever made. It's silent, consists only of simple pencil drawings and never is all that interesting. So why is it STILL a worthwhile film? Well, it's so early and in its day it was considered state of the art. Plus, the film's creator, Winsor McCay, was responsible for some of the first animated heroes--in the forms of Gertie the Dinosaur and Little Nemo. So, because of this very important and impressive pedigree, this film is of great importance to animators, historians and Cinephiles alike. For what it is (an early experimental film), it is pretty good. Plus, without films like this, later more fleshed out cartoons wouldn't have been possible. Interesting and unique, that's for sure.