Dizzy Daniels, our leading man, director, screenwriter, and editor, presents A Self-Made Failure. The film is a silent comedy pastiche, filmed in black-and-white 16mm. Dizzy (Daniels) is a young chronic loser who works as a squeegee cleaner. After cleaning the escape car of a convenience store robber (Joe Ferra), he is mistakenly accused by Officer Alexandre A. Piggins (Alex Gorchkov) of the Montreal police of the crime. Then, unable to pay his rent, Dizzy is kicked out by his landlady (Florence Maltais). As if that isn’t bad enough, his girlfriend, Mary (Alys Mcdonough), breaks up with him. Dizzy is faced with the challenge of proving himself innocent and avoiding being caught by the Keystone Kops-esque police department.
The story is just us, the audience, seeing our comedic everyman put through the wringer in various perilous situations for 81-minutes. Dizzy tries and fails to commit suicide. He scavenges for meals in dumpsters. Eventually, he takes charge and runs job searches in the newspapers. His attempt at selling ice cream from a cart goes horribly wrong when he is held up by a child cowboy. It takes Dizzy a while to realize that he has been mistakenly identified as a thief, until he is hired to paste his own wanted posters across the city. Let the slapstick insanity ensue!
A Self-Made Failure came out at the perfect time, especially as silent films are being properly restored and gaining a new following. This is the Silent Film Renaissance, thanks to the incredible work shepherded by many historians like Ben Model, Paul E. Gierucki, and Serge Bromberg. For those who loved and appreciated Hundreds of Beavers, Daniels’s film will satisfy that itch. His film is built on the foundations of silent comedy legends like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Daniels builds on the tropes established in silent comedy to create a film that is both authentic and original.
“…[Dizzy is] mistakenly accused by Officer Alexandre A. Piggins of the Montreal police of the crime.”
From a visual and cinematic perspective, he nails the aesthetics perfectly. We get clever intertitles that stand out with a whimsical font. The cinematography is engaging due to playing with angles that create scope during key sequences. The iris effect is used expertly, drawing the viewer to key character beats. There are many memorable visual gags, like Dizzy hiding from the cops by pretending to be a statue on different historical monuments.
Montreal is a character in the film. Its rough edges, weeds, and graffiti-covered buildings add to the plight of our resilient hero. Daniels uses this location in the same way other cities were used in the silent era. Many parks in Montreal may remind die-hard silent comedy fans of Echo Park, which was famously used in countless shorts filmed by Mack Sennett and his talented team. The cast understands the material and makes you feel like you’re watching a real comedy from the 1910s-20s. Alex Gorchkov is funny as Officer Piggins, due to his expressive face. Alys Mcdonough is a perfect romantic foil as Mary. Her “normalness” contrasts greatly with the filmmaker’s Keaton and Lloyd characteristics.
Dizzy Daniels delivers an amazing film, and it is absolutely worthy of a DVD/Blu-Ray release in the near future. You can feel his passion for this rare comedic style! I’m excited to see what he does next with his character. A Self-Made Failure is a testament to the ingenuity of indie filmmaking and honoring the roots of silent cinema’s pioneers. Go ahead and check out this self-made winner!
"…amazing.."
