Lone Fisherman (1896)
This comedy from Edison is pretty funny even if it lasts just under a minute. A fisherman is sitting on a plank on a bridge when someone comes up from behind him and removes the stone. This causes the fisherman to fall off the blank and right into the water below. That's pretty much the entire story here but it's actually pretty funny and especially the reaction of the fisherman once he's in the water. I must admit that I found the prank to be pretty funny and I certainly liked the reaction that the guy gave as he starts flopping around in the water. This "acting" was certainly over-the-top but that's what made it work so well. Edison would eventually make quite a few prank movies so it appears they were popular back in the day and for a good reason. The camera stays put on dry land and just catches all the action in front of it including the prankster himself jumping into the water as a couple other people ride up and laugh at the action going on.
This comedy from Edison is pretty funny even if it lasts just under a minute. A fisherman is sitting on a plank on a bridge when someone comes up from behind him and removes the stone. This causes the fisherman to fall off the blank and right into the water below. That's pretty much the entire story here but it's actually pretty funny and especially the reaction of the fisherman once he's in the water. I must admit that I found the prank to be pretty funny and I certainly liked the reaction that the guy gave as he starts flopping around in the water. This "acting" was certainly over-the-top but that's what made it work so well. Edison would eventually make quite a few prank movies so it appears they were popular back in the day and for a good reason. The camera stays put on dry land and just catches all the action in front of it including the prankster himself jumping into the water as a couple other people ride up and laugh at the action going on.