This odd Edison Company one-reeler packs a wide range of racial stereotypes into its short running time, and even aside from that it has some weird features to it. Although the stereotypes make most of it very uncomfortable to watch, it probably serves a purpose of sorts now, in preserving a record of some of the attitudes of its time, and in illustrating how easily these could be accepted by movie audiences.
The story starts with several African-American men slipping into a watermelon patch, and goes on to portray them and their families in a number of ways that, though they do not seem to have been mean-spirited, do not come across well now. In a sense, it elaborates on some earlier, simpler movies (both by Edison and other studios) that relied on similar ideas. It does add some comedy material of its own, some of it offbeat in itself, and some of the technical aspects are probably relatively good for the time. It keeps the tone light for most of the movie, but the last scene is rather unkind to the characters and leaves a different feeling.
Professor Michele Wallace has some very good observations in the commentary that accompanies this in Kino's DVD collection of Edison features, as she explains the origins of some of these stereotypes, and some of the lessons that they hold. Although these are the kinds of topics that are often avoided because they are so uncomfortable, if they are discussed in the right way there are some things that we can learn.
The story starts with several African-American men slipping into a watermelon patch, and goes on to portray them and their families in a number of ways that, though they do not seem to have been mean-spirited, do not come across well now. In a sense, it elaborates on some earlier, simpler movies (both by Edison and other studios) that relied on similar ideas. It does add some comedy material of its own, some of it offbeat in itself, and some of the technical aspects are probably relatively good for the time. It keeps the tone light for most of the movie, but the last scene is rather unkind to the characters and leaves a different feeling.
Professor Michele Wallace has some very good observations in the commentary that accompanies this in Kino's DVD collection of Edison features, as she explains the origins of some of these stereotypes, and some of the lessons that they hold. Although these are the kinds of topics that are often avoided because they are so uncomfortable, if they are discussed in the right way there are some things that we can learn.