two-reeler
Twenty-minute silent picture
A two-reeler is a short film running about twenty minutes, the length of two reels of film.
The term dates from early cinema when comedies, westerns, and dramas were often produced in this format: Chaplin made dozens of two-reelers before moving to features.
The format largely disappeared as feature-length films became standard.
Inept cinematic policemen
- intertitlesText frames in silent films
- nickelodeonCoin-fed entertainment machine
- kinetoscopeEarly motion picture viewer
- Our GangVintage child comedians
Buster Keaton · Charlie Chaplin · Laurel and Hardy · Mary Pickford · hand-cranked · silent comedy · title cards
Comedic fall on buttocks
- pie fightComedic food-throwing confrontation
- chase sceneExtended onscreen pursuit
- sight gagJoke told through action
- physical comedyHumor from bodily mishaps
custard pie · banana peel · Keystone Kops · knockabout · mugging · double take · comic timing · stunt
Brief supplementary film piece
- double billTwo features, one admission
- serialOccurring in ordered succession
- newsreelShort theatrical news film
- B-pictureLow-budget studio film
running time · matinee · opening act · filler · picture show
Keystone Cops
Inept cinematic policemen
- intertitlesText frames in silent films
- nickelodeonCoin-fed entertainment machine
- kinetoscopeEarly motion picture viewer
Buster Keaton · Charlie Chaplin · Our Gang · Laurel and Hardy · Mary Pickford · hand-cranked · silent comedy · title cards
pratfall
Comedic fall on buttocks
- pie fightComedic food-throwing confrontation
- chase sceneExtended onscreen pursuit
- sight gagJoke told through action
physical comedy · custard pie · banana peel · Keystone Kops · knockabout · mugging · double take · comic timing · stunt · tumble
featurette
Brief supplementary film piece
- double billTwo features, one admission
- serialOccurring in ordered succession
- newsreelShort theatrical news film
B-picture · running time · matinee · opening act · filler · picture show
two-reelerfeature film
Standard-length theatrical release
feature · feature-length film · epic · blockbuster · serial