English Title: Chess Fever
Mezhrabpom-Rus
Starring: Vladimir Fogel
Directed by: Vsevolod Pudovkin, Nikolai Shpikovsky

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: In this silent short film from Russia, a young man (Vladimir Fogel) becomes so obsessed with the game of chess he neglects everything around him, including his wife-to-be.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): When we are first introduced to our unnamed hero he is seen playing a game of chess against himself. As he paces the room, he glances over at a group of kittens sitting off to one side.

Pacing around the table, the hero does not realize he is trailing a thread behind him. One kitten chases after the thread and finally catches hold of it, pulling the man to the ground. It is then he sees the note reminding him that he is supposed to get married.

The young man rushes to get dressed and ends up finding kittens at every turn. The first one is inside the sleeve of his jacket.

Slight Kitty Carnage Warning: The next is in his breast pocket. This kitten he tosses aside roughly.

The next kitten turns up in the man’s shoe. This kitten is also tossed aside a bit too roughly.

As the man is about to leave the apartment he slips on his coat. He then feels the pockets on both sides and pulls out two more kittens. He turns and drops these into the pockets of a hanging raincoat.

Final Mewsings: You can never have too many kittens around the house.

Many thanks to @Drangula for letting us know about this short film!

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