Men haven't changed much since Edison shot 'Blacksmith Scene' in 1893 (interestingly featuring the title card 'Blacksmith Scene #1' on the first volume of the Treasures From American Film Archives series--does this mean there was a sequel?). Here we get to enjoy thirty seconds of men pounding things: a glowing hot piece of metal on an anvil, an ice cold bottle of beer, and...well, you don't actually see them pounding anything else, but these are some pretty macho looking dudes and you can imagine what they enjoy doing on the weekend. It's not exactly the most exciting plot, but as this was the first dramatic film ever made, it only seems fair to cut it some slack. Too bad its double bill partner, a similar short focusing on horseshoes, doesn't seem to have survived.
Review of Blacksmith Scene
