This Edison Company film from 1903 features lots of wonderful shots of what Coney Island and its rides looked like at the turn of the century. So, in this sense it's a great historical document. However, when it comes to the narrative, it leaves a lot lacking. The film, apart from lots of footage of the park, also shows a couple of country idiots, Rube and Mandy, out for a day of fun in the big city. In their case, it mostly means falling down a lot and eating hot dogs like idiots. None of it funny and I guess films that showcase the stupidity of country people were popular among city folk at the time. To me, this part of the film is mostly worthless except to show you what people thought was funny...which it wasn't. Only of interest to anyone wanting to see things like the old Steeplechase ride, dog acts, camel rides and the like.
3 Reviews
Probably the first cinematic fishes out of water
JoeytheBrit21 May 2009
This is pretty sophisticated stuff for 1903. Split into three films, its total running time is probably around 12 minutes. There's no plot as such, but it is a kind of story in that it tells us of a day at Coney Island enjoyed by a couple of country hicks. They are portrayed as a pair of buffoons, oafishly capering around Coney island, trying every ride they can and stuffing hot dogs into their mouths. There's even a laugh-out-load moment when the guy reaches the bottom of a slide only to have a dozen or so people immediately land on top of him. That's probably the only moment that a modern audience might conceivably find amusing today, but this probably had them rolling in the aisles back in 1903. The film's also worth watching for its capturing of turn of the century Coney island and the people who frequented it.
Fun, fun, fun in 1903
Felonious-Punk11 June 2010
A goofy duo goes to Coney Island. They ride cows, camels, walk tightropes, slide down slides, and eat hotdogs. There is some animal cruelty, but if you look at those parts as unfortunate history, the rest of the movie is actually fun.
As the movie is only 12 minutes long, and it's split up into three segments, there is not much time to get bored. As far as acting, the actors may be overly goofy, but their good nature shines through. Ultimately, the park is the main character, and there are plenty of goings-on to enjoy during this pretty day, and the director puts the camera in all the right places to share them with us. There's a good high angle which was pretty novel for its time, there's a street scene, plenty of crowd scenes, some camera swiveling, boat rides, and more. And, of course, it's also a short trip to 1903 and back, what's not to like?
As the movie is only 12 minutes long, and it's split up into three segments, there is not much time to get bored. As far as acting, the actors may be overly goofy, but their good nature shines through. Ultimately, the park is the main character, and there are plenty of goings-on to enjoy during this pretty day, and the director puts the camera in all the right places to share them with us. There's a good high angle which was pretty novel for its time, there's a street scene, plenty of crowd scenes, some camera swiveling, boat rides, and more. And, of course, it's also a short trip to 1903 and back, what's not to like?
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