The Beggar's Deceit

The Beggar's Deceit
Directed by	Cecil Hepworth
Distributed by	Hepworth Manufacturing Company
Release date	November 1900 (1900-11) (UK)
Running time	58 seconds
Country	United Kingdom
Language	silent

The Beggar's Deceit is a 1900 British short film directed by Cecil Hepworth. The film is a comedy sketch shot from a static camera position, with the composition divided into thirds: on the left the beggar, in the centre the pavement and pedestrians, and to the right the road and vehicle traffic.

Synopsis

A legless beggar with a sign around his neck saying "cripple" pushes himself slowly and laboriously on a trolley along the pavement, soliciting alms from sympathetic passers-by. A policeman gradually approaches from the distance. Feeling suspicious, he taps the beggar on the shoulder, whereupon the beggar leaps up in a panic and runs away on his perfectly functional legs. The policeman trips over the trolley before recovering his footing and setting off in pursuit.