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Believe It or Not (Second Series) #9

Believe It or Not (Second Series) #9

1932

G

Director

Alfred J. Goulding

Runtime

8 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

In this short film, Robert L. Ripley introduces narrator Leo Donnelly who presents various "Believe It or Not" oddities from around the world as gathered by Ripley. Segments include a NYC clothier that caters to very large men and circus elephant grooming. Vitaphone No. 1363.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

3.1/10

Limited


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Limited

The film lacks any evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisnormative identities. It follows early 1930s curiosity-based tropes that largely omitted queer narratives.

Gender Representation

Limited

Gender dynamics are not explicitly detailed, but the film focuses on male-centric spectacles like large-man clothing. There is no indication of women subverting traditional hierarchies.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

While claiming a global scope, the film likely presents world curiosities through a colonial lens. It relies on standard ethnographic tropes of the era without providing subject agency.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Limited

The narrative functions as a commercialized spectacle of the unusual. It operates within standard early 20th-century frameworks rather than critiquing traditional institutions or Western perspectives.

Disability Representation

Limited

Physical anomalies are presented as spectacles for consumption rather than characters with agency. The film uses physical difference as a point of curiosity rather than nuanced exploration.

Strengths

  • Provides a global scope by presenting various oddities gathered from around the world.

Areas for Improvement

  • Avoid presenting physical differences and disabilities as mere spectacles for consumer entertainment.
  • Move beyond colonial ethnographic tropes to provide more agency to non-Western subjects.
  • Incorporate more diverse gender roles and non-cisnormative identities into the narrative.

AI Analysis

This documentary short functions as a traditional collection of curiosities typical of the early 1930s. The structure prioritizes entertainment through the observation of the 'unusual,' which reinforces existing social hierarchies rather than challenging them. The film relies on ethnographic tropes and a colonial lens to present global oddities. This approach treats subjects as spectacles for a Western audience rather than providing them with individual agency or intersectional depth. Ultimately, the work lacks intentional social commentary. It operates within the standard moral and cultural frameworks of its time, focusing on commercialized spectacle over nuanced representation.

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