Directed by: George Albert Smith

Synopsis: A remake of George Albert Smith’s earlier film The Little Doctor from 1901, this short shows a boy and girl playing doctor and nursemaid to a sick kitten, feeding it some medicine from a spoon as the Mama Cat waits by anxiously.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): The setting is simple. A little girl is sitting in a chair with a tabby kitten on a nearby table. She picks up the kitten and cradles it in her arms with concern.

A little boy posing as a doctor and wearing a top hat enters the scene and assesses the situation before walking out of frame. In the meantime, the mother tabby cat is looking at the table and then at the girl’s lap, presumably trying to find her kitten.

The boy returns with a bottle of “Fisik” (Physic). The scene cuts to a close up of the kitten in the girl’s arms as she feeds it some of the “fisik” from a spoon.

The kitten having been cured, the girl shakes hands with the doctor who takes some bows towards the camera before walking away.

One of the earliest cat stars of the silver screen, the kitten featured in this short film is adorable beyond words. What is most notable about this experimental film was George Albert Smith’s use of close ups and editing, one of the earliest examples of a film being cut and close-ups inserted to bring the action closer to the audience. He deserves to be applauded simply for giving us one of the most priceless kitty close-ups in film history. Mama Cat also turns in a nice performance as the concerned parent.

Final Mewsings: A close-up of a kitten is a cinematic breakthrough.

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