A Fascinating Vintage Film From 1910 That Showcases the Strength and Agility of Common Houseflies

In 1910, British naturalist and filmmaker F Percy Smith created “The Acrobatic Fly”, a fascinating film that demonstrated the remarkable strength, coordination, cooperation and agility of common houseflies. Smith displayed the talent of his subjects through several exercises such as juggling objects such as a blade of grass, a tiny barbell or even another fly.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is a sequence that features a fly rotating a ball with another fly balancing atop it, like a tiny circus act.

Smith is known as a pioneer of both timelapse photography and microcinematography, as demonstrated another of his classic films “Brewster’s Magic”.