Dear One

“Dear One” is a re-invention of a Standard 8 film entitled “Monkeys Noisy Night” a found film from the early twentieth century (from Brown's family collection) of chimpanzees acting out the roles of mother, father and baby. The baby will not sleep and the father tries many different approaches. Nothing works and finally, after a failed attempt to lull the baby into a slumber by playing the violin, the father beats the baby repeatedly over the head with the instrument. Brown's version of the film (duration 5 mins)concerns failed anthropomorphism where the appropriated “humanness” of the chimps is subverted and the animality wins through. The film, 'acted' by the chimps, is similar to cartoon imagery, but in this case when the baby is hit with the violin, it does hurt and the baby isn’t miraculously rejuvenated in the next scene.