This split reel Robert Paul movie, also know as "A Lively Quarter Day" is composed of two parts. In the first, a maid is cleaning a bed sitting room for let when the moving men come and proceed to wreak havoc, culminating in a gas explosion. In the second, the well-dressed tenant enters, uses a mixture of movie and stage effects -- reversing the film; using midgets -- to restore the apartment magically and send his clothes into an armoire while he prepares for bed.
In terms of visuals, this is basic for the era: one camera that doesn't move and a set that is clearly painted. Compared to the pieces that Melies and Segundo de Chomon were producing across the Channel, it is not at all cinematic. However, with its rough music hall sensibilities, it is quite entertaining.
