Michael_Elliott Arabian Gun Twirler (1899) Hadji Cheriff plays himself in this 32 second film from Edison. The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. As you'd expect, Cheriff just showed up at the Edison studio, got on the stage and re-created his act. There's certainly nothing too amazing here but I always enjoy watching these early films because it gives you a chance to see a performing act that has been forgotten over time. It's always fascinating to me to get to go back to 1899 and see a performer who people were paying to see. Thankfully cinema came along and someone like Edison and other companies filmed these acts.

SidiHamet I had the good fortune of seeing this old footage recently. Unlike many other old, silent films, where the oriental character is in fact not oriental at all (this is especially true in the 20's), this film is authentic. And I find it mind-blowing to think that this man actually lived in the same land that Freya Stark and Gertrude Bell wrote about so magically. If ever you get the chance to see this, do so; particularly if you are an enthusiast of the Near East, as I see myself.In case some of you are wondering how you too can view this, there are plenty of Old Edison Actualities available on MPEG, which you can find at many places on the web.