Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

The Acrobatic Fly

The Acrobatic Fly is a 1910 British short silent documentary film, directed by F. Percy Smith, featuring close-ups of a housefly secured to the head of a match and juggling objects with its feet. The film, "is one of a series of Smith films on similar subjects around this time," and according to Mark Duguid of the BFI is, "near identical to, though briefer than, a sequence in his 1911 release The Strength and Agility of Insects."

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
149 w
Citations
2
Source
Wikipedia ↗
The Acrobatic Fly
Screenshot from the film
Directed byF. Percy Smith
Production
company
Distributed byCharles Urban Trading Company
Release date
  • 1910 (1910)
Running time
3 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageSilent
The Acrobatic Fly (1910)

The Acrobatic Fly (also known as The Balancing Bluebottle) is a 1910 British short silent documentary film, directed by F. Percy Smith, featuring close-ups of a housefly secured to the head of a match and juggling objects with its feet.1 The film, "is one of a series of Smith films on similar subjects around this time," and according to Mark Duguid of the BFI is, "near identical to, though briefer than, a sequence in his 1911 release The Strength and Agility of Insects."2

References

References

  1. "New Field Found For Moving Pictures" (PDF). New York Times. 27 February 1910. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  2. Duguid, Mark (29 January 2008). "The Acrobatic Fly (1910)". BFIfilms YouTube channel. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
External links