British Film Institute

Percy Smith believed that he could cure people of their fear of spiders by showing them blown up images of their eight legged foes on the cinema screen. This short film uses an animated model spider to show how the spider 'throws' its silken threads to make a web. The little fellow is quite comical and is the first of several animated creatures to appear in Smith's films.

A spider is shown standing on a piece of rock. A thread is produced until sufficient to bear the spider's weight. In a humorous fashion, the spider lifts all eight legs off the craggy outcrop and is pulled into the air, sailing off into the unknown. In the next sequence we see how the spider uses its legs to manipulate the web, turning on its back then gathering in the thread with its feet. The film ends with a live action shot of a spider in its lair, scrabbling around looking for tasty morsels.

Jenny Hammerton

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