Nervy Nat Kisses the Bride (1904) User Reviews

Bums wearing top hats . . .

[cricket30 · 6/10 · 11 April 2013]

. . . are still bums, in my mind. And sexual assault should be a matter more for summary justice than laughing, according to every recent poll of American women. At the time this short was made--1904--the latter point was actually true in my part of the country more often than not, which no doubt is why NERVY NAT KISSES THE BRIDE was set and filmed up North (on a Yankee coast) where there are documented cases of warped sensibilities toward the gentler sex from the Mayflower landing onwards. The so-called "witches" of Salem, for instance, would have been seen as merely eccentric ladies in their day down here, but the blue button misogynists were stringing them up by the dozen around Boston. These facts are conveniently forgotten when we're constantly chided for American hangings. Obviously, Nervy Nat (an apparent Caucasian) would have been tar-and-feathered at the very least for his forays against the feminine sex in a civilized place, but old Tom Edison's blue state motion picture company extols him as a jolly prankster in this wrong-headed piece (one of many that laid the groundwork for the eventual corruption of America by the motion picture mafia).

Tramp Comedian

[boblipton · 4/10 · 24 August 2018]

As other reviewers have already pointed out, there isn't much to this two-minute short from Edison. Nervy Nat, a comic in a run-down suit of morning clothes, is on a train. He goes and kisses the bride, as per the title. A ruckus ensues.

Yet this is the work of Edwin S. Porter, who was always looking for new and interesting ways of shooting movies -- as were many of his fellow movie makers; everyone was looking for an edge, whether it was an advance in technical expertise or some new sort of story to tell, and 1904 was the year that rough slapstick began to really hit the screen. It had been around for some time; there were at least three versions of THE MILLER AND THE SWEEP in which members of those trades pelted each other with sacks of their own goods. The comic chase, another staple of screen slapstick (and drama) became popular in 1904, so why not tramp comedians, another staple of the stage roughhouse?

Of Minimal Interest

[Snow Leopard · 15 November 2005]

This short comedy offers little of interest, and is hardly one of the better movies even of its own time. It's essentially a one-gag film, and if it has any usefulness now it is simply as one of the many lesser attempts to work with the genres and techniques of the era. The main character was something of a stock figure in its time, and both tramps and trains were staples of the era, so this may have made it a little more interesting to its original audiences.

The story follows a central tramp character (known in different releases as Nervy Nat or Weary Willie) who sneaks onto a train and tries to take advantage of a young bride. Although there are a couple of moments when the tramp character shows a bit of flair, in general both the character and his actions are unpleasant. Although he has a little bit of energy, he lacks the poignant, sympathetic side of the tramp characters that greats such as Chaplin would play later on.

4 from Edison

[Michael_Elliott · 12 March 2008]

Nervy Nat Kisses the Bride (1904)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The title says it all in this Edison short. The big highlight is the final stunt where Nat gets thrown off a moving train.

How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the NY Harold Personal Columns (1904)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Another Edison short this time has a man placing a personal add only to be chased through the street by dozens of women. Not too many laughs here but you gotta wonder if Keaton saw this when he made Seven Chances nearly twenty years later.

European Rest Cure, The (1904)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Interesting film from the Edison Studios about a cruise across Europe. Considering it's 1904 there's not any story being told but the film seems to have been made so that Americans could see various popular places overseas. The entire film was shot in the Bronx with sets looking like the other countries.

Scarecrow Pump, The (1904)

*** (out of 4)

A farmer turns his water pump into a scarecrow. Runs just over a minute but the final gag is quite funny.