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Alongside Little Chrysia, Sarah Duhamel (1873–1926) also tickled the audience's funny bone in several serials from 1911 onwards by combining slapstick and destructive rage. Outwardly, she did not conform to conventional standards of beauty, but her performances exuded great self-confidence: rebellious, rough, always in trouble and yet (mostly) triumphant in the end. Whether at the horse races, in the amusement park or – with her lover and dog in tow – floating in space, Duhamel proves herself to be a true pioneer who ignores gender-specific behaviours and shows how funny the supposedly weaker sex can be.
(Florian Widegger)