Black Eyes (1915) Poster

(1915)

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Funny, Pleasant Domestic Comedy
Snow Leopard23 September 2005
This is a funny, pleasant domestic comedy that gets good mileage out of a series of simple domestic squabbles. It is all quite innocent, and the tone is very light, so that you can just enjoy the comedy - yet it is not without a little light commentary too, in highlighting how easily deception and dishonesty can create difficulties even for a loving couple. The movie mostly follows a then-familiar formula for short comedies, but it uses the pattern well.

The story follows a married couple who, after a bitter argument, promise each other never again to lie about what they are doing or where they are going. Naturally, this resolve is soon tested, with humorous consequences. The story is really rather imaginative in building up the original situation, creating complications, and then providing some comic twists as everything plays out. There is actually enough comedy material here for a much longer movie, and in fact many very enjoyable 1930s 'screwball comedies' are quite similar in nature, with a story much like this stretched out to its logical limits.

The cast consists entirely of little-known performers, but they do a creditable job. The acting is generally slightly exaggerated, to the degree that it makes everything seem funny without pushing it too far. Most of the characters are familiar types, with the outrageous Professor Scarab added in to play off of the other characters and create new possibilities.

This is the kind of non-serious story that can allow you to laugh a bit at common human foibles, without malice directed towards anyone. It allows you to care about the characters without worrying about them, letting them simply to entertain you a little.
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8/10
One of the funnier efforts from Edison Manufacturing Company . . .
cricket3010 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
. . . ladies cheating at cards and getting into a "cat fight" shows that things have not changed much in 98 years. Running 14 minutes, 52.4 seconds, BLACK EYES (1915) had scripts for the cast which appear to have been run off on my old elementary school's mimeograph machine (another Edison invention, after the light bulb and phonograph?). Though EMC only churned out about 1,200 films during its 30-year history (1889-1918, if you count the pre-patent prototype efforts), this script is labeled "Assembly #2279." It also is designated as item #7961, a film of about 1,000 feet. BLACK EYES consists of 68 scenes--a little more complicated than DICKSON'S GREETING (1891)--the first movie with a recognizable human being, lasting less than 2 seconds (though it is usually shown repeating itself at four different speeds). The inter-titles for BLACK EYES are a hoot, such as the wife saying, "Forgive me, my poor departed husband, I'll NEVER play bridge again." The actions also are quite comical, such as when the husband apologizes to her on his knees. To make things even more humorous, Professor Scarab wears a Santa cap, with his assistant sporting a white nightcap. Hats off to BLACK EYES.
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