For 1894, this is a reasonable attempt to film a cowboy riding a "Bucking Broncho". To film such an unpredictable and frantic scene takes some skill even now, so it should not be surprising that this very early effort has a lot of rough edges.
It's fairly interesting in itself, in that it features two of the real cowboy stars from William Cody's famous group of "Wild West" performers, with Lee Martin as the one riding the horse. The Edison film crews made a series of movies starring various performers from Cody's acts, as they did with various vaudeville acts and the like, and those that survive afford a look at the popular entertainers of the era.
The movie itself is significantly limited by the equipment of its day. They went to the trouble of erecting a miniature corral, since filming in the studio clearly would not have worked, and it does succeed in providing a believable atmosphere. But because the camera field was fixed and offered limited options for setting it up, the composition is awkward. It catches only part of the cowboy standing on the fence rail, and Martin and the horse frequently move in and out of the frame.
Despite its obvious limitations, the energy and danger of the action still come across to some degree. It's a tough choice of subject matter for such an early movie, but it's an interesting attempt.
It's fairly interesting in itself, in that it features two of the real cowboy stars from William Cody's famous group of "Wild West" performers, with Lee Martin as the one riding the horse. The Edison film crews made a series of movies starring various performers from Cody's acts, as they did with various vaudeville acts and the like, and those that survive afford a look at the popular entertainers of the era.
The movie itself is significantly limited by the equipment of its day. They went to the trouble of erecting a miniature corral, since filming in the studio clearly would not have worked, and it does succeed in providing a believable atmosphere. But because the camera field was fixed and offered limited options for setting it up, the composition is awkward. It catches only part of the cowboy standing on the fence rail, and Martin and the horse frequently move in and out of the frame.
Despite its obvious limitations, the energy and danger of the action still come across to some degree. It's a tough choice of subject matter for such an early movie, but it's an interesting attempt.