Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the 'New York Herald' Personal Columns" is such a long title for a relatively short film as this one here is a 7.5-minute live action short film from the black-and-white silent era over a century ago, actually almost 115 years now already. Director is legendary American filmmaker Edwin S. Porter from the birth of movies, very prolific and successful director and here we got his work on a French nobleman that all the ladies want. The beginning is solid, the middle part quickly gets repetitive and I was about to give the film a lower rating and negative recommendation, but the cute ending really saved it. It was like (a good version of) Bachelor from the early 20th century. Acting is good enough, doesn't need to be great as charm is where this film eventually delivers the most. Intertitles aren't needed this time although they admittedly could have added some comedic spice at least in the middle of the film. All in all, I give this one a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out.

zpzjones My interest in this film lies not in it's comedic message or editing construct. My interest is who is in the film. Because the film is preserved in such a great state of clarity, faces can be recognized. No need for me to go over what the film's rundown as others have given a synopsis. I'll list the personalities appearing uncredited and in order of appearance. Edwin Porter the director doesn't always keep the ladies in numerical order. The ladies show great spirit coming out to do the film especially in heavy ankle length dresses and heeled shoes. Needless to say Fay Templeton, who is always last, ends up the victor and wins her man (Eddie Foy Sr. in disguise).*French Nobleman: Eddie Foy Sr.BRIDGE scene (in order of appearance): *1.Ethel Barrymore *2.Maude Adams *3.Eleanor Roosevelt *4. ? *5.Mrs. Fiske *6.? *7.Rose Coghlan *8.Fay Templeton________SAND DUNES or CLIFF scene (in order of appearance): *1. Ethel Barrymore *2. Maude Adams *3. Eleanor Roosevelt *4. ? *5. Mrs. Fiske *6. ? *7. May Robson *8. ? *9. Lillian Russell *10. Rose Coghlan *11. Fay Templeton___________BUSHES scene (in order of appearance): *1. Ethel Barrymore *2. Maude Adams *3. Eleanor Roosevelt *4. ? *5. Mrs. Fiske *6. ? *7. May Robson *8. ? *9. Lillian Russell *10. Rose Coghlan *11. Fay Templeton___________FENCE scene (in order of appearance): *1. Ethel Barrymore *2. Maude Adams *3. Eleanor Roosevelt *4. Rose Coghlan *5. ? *6. Mrs. Fiske *7. ? *8. May Robson *9. ? *10. Lillian Russell *11. Fay Templeton___________JUMP OVER LOG scene (in order of appearance): *1. Ethel Barrymore *2. Maude Adams *3. Eleanor Roosevelt *4. ? *5. Mrs. Fiske *6. ? *7. May Robson *8. ? *9. Lillian Russell *10. Rose Coghlan *11. Fay Templeton

cricket crockett . . . HOW A FRENCH NOBLEMAN GOT A WIFE THROUGH THE 'NEW YORK HERALD' PERSONAL COLUMNS from 1904 is basically a Sadie Hawkins cross country race with the alleged frog being the first and only prize. Pursued over hill and dale by a posse of 11 fully-dressed women (these were Taliban times in America), the ad placer is soon chased far away from the original Grant's Tomb starting point. Seeing all these chicks running along while holding on to their large fancy dress hats with one hand is a real hoot. The course includes a jaunt across a golf course, with the obligatory detour through a bunker. By the time the running dozen reach the log jump, the pace of the pursuit has picked up markedly (apparently there was a desperate shortage of men in the New York area at the time this 8-minute short was shot). This steeplechase culminates in some sort of pond or crick, into which the quarry is cornered. The eleven ladies stop to confer over which member of the distaff set most deserves the prize (the thrill seemingly all in the hunt, and NOT the kill). The consensus agreement allows the most obese lady harrier to wade into the shallow waters to claim her spoils.

MartinHafer For 1904, this is a very funny film, though the pacing and editing are lousy by standards of films made only a decade later. But, comparing this film to other films of its day, it is excellent and provides some cute laughs and the plot is very modern compared to other comedies of the day--most of which were filmed inside stuffy studios instead of in real outdoor settings. In fact, the basic idea is so good that it was resurrected two decades later in the fantastic Buster Keaton film, SEVEN CHANCES.A French nobleman places an ad in the paper for a wife. The instructions say for interested women to meet him in front of Grant's Tomb. However, ten women show up and things quickly get out of hand and so the man runs--at which point the women give chase!! Ultimately, one is able to win the man due to sheer determination! While a great idea, as I mentioned before the pacing and editing are not terribly great. This is definitely a product of the times, as setting up a camera and leaving it stationary through long shots was the norm--cameras did not usually follow the action. However, each time the frenzied groom ran across the camera, the scene continued until each and every one of the ten ladies passed as well!! Some of them were pretty slow considering the long dresses worn at the time and so scenes just dragged on and on--longer than they might have been handled when good editing became the norm. But, considering the time, it's still a wonderful film with a great plot.