Her Bridal Night-Mare
Plot
Mary, a young bride-to-be, experiences a series of comedic misadventures on what should be the happiest day of her life. From a ruined wedding dress to missing rings and delayed ceremonies, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The film follows Mary's frantic attempts to salvage her wedding day amidst escalating chaos and confusion. Her fiancé and wedding party struggle to keep up with the mounting disasters, creating a whirlwind of slapstick humor and romantic tension. The comedy culminates in a resolution that tests whether true love can survive the most disastrous wedding day imaginable.
Director
About the Production
This was one of the many short comedies produced by Christie Film Company during their peak years of production. The film was typical of the two-reel comedies popular in 1920, running approximately 15-20 minutes. Like many Christie productions, it was filmed quickly on studio sets with minimal location shooting.
Historical Background
1920 was a pivotal year in American cinema, marking the transition from the teens to the roaring twenties. The film industry was consolidating in Hollywood, and the studio system was taking shape. This was also the year that saw the beginning of Prohibition, which would heavily influence film content and themes. The post-World War I economic boom was creating more disposable income for entertainment, and movie attendance was soaring. Comedy shorts like this were the bread and butter of most theaters, providing audiences with quick laughs between feature presentations. The film industry was also dealing with the aftermath of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which had disrupted production the previous year.
Why This Film Matters
While 'Her Bridal Night-Mare' was a typical comedy short of its era, it represents the type of domestic comedy that reflected changing social attitudes toward marriage and relationships in the 1920s. The film's focus on wedding mishaps tapped into the cultural fascination with romance and marriage during a period when traditional values were being questioned. As an early work of Colleen Moore, it's part of the foundation that led to her becoming one of the decade's biggest stars and style icons. The Christie Film Company's output helped establish the template for American screen comedy that would influence generations of filmmakers.
Making Of
Al Christie was known for his efficient production methods, often completing short comedies in just a few days. His studio operated like an assembly line, with multiple productions shooting simultaneously on adjacent sets. Colleen Moore, still early in her career, was building her reputation in these short comedies before transitioning to feature films. The Christie studio was located in Hollywood and was one of the few independent production companies that successfully competed with major studios during the silent era. The film would have been shot with natural light on open-air stages, as was common practice in 1920 before sophisticated lighting equipment became standard.
Visual Style
As a 1920 studio production, the cinematography would have been relatively straightforward, utilizing static cameras and basic lighting techniques. The film would have been shot on 35mm film with standard aspect ratio of the era. Christie productions were known for their clean, professional look despite their modest budgets, with clear compositions that served the comedy well.
Music
As a silent film, 'Her Bridal Night-Mare' would have been accompanied by live musical performance in theaters. The typical score would have included popular songs of the day, classical pieces, and specially composed mood music to enhance the comedic and romantic elements. Larger theaters might have had small orchestras, while smaller venues would have used piano accompaniment.
Memorable Scenes
- The chaotic wedding ceremony where everything goes wrong simultaneously
- Mary's frantic attempts to fix her wedding dress
- The mad dash to rescue the missing wedding rings
Did You Know?
- This film represents one of Colleen Moore's early screen appearances before she became a major star in the 1920s
- Al Christie was a pioneering Canadian-American filmmaker who founded Christie Film Company in 1916
- The film was released during the early boom of American comedy shorts, when theaters typically programmed multiple short films before feature presentations
- Gino Corrado, who appears in the film, would go on to have a long career as a character actor in over 150 films
- Earle Rodney was a regular performer in Christie comedies and later became a prolific comedy writer for other studios
- The film's title plays on the pun of 'nightmare' and 'bridal night,' a common wordplay technique in silent comedy titles
- Christie Film Company specialized in domestic comedies, often focusing on marital and family situations
- This film was likely distributed through Universal Pictures, which handled many Christie productions during this period
What Critics Said
Contemporary reviews of Christie comedies were generally positive, with trade publications like Variety and Motion Picture News regularly praising their light entertainment value. Critics of the era appreciated Christie's consistent quality and family-friendly approach to comedy. Modern critical assessment is limited due to the film's apparent lost status, but Christie's work is recognized by film historians as important in the development of American screen comedy.
What Audiences Thought
Audiences in 1920 generally responded well to Christie comedies, which were known for their gentle humor and relatable domestic situations. The films were popular with family audiences and were frequently booked as part of theater programs. The combination of wedding themes and slapstick comedy would have appealed to the broad audience base that theaters sought to attract during this period.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- Mack Sennett comedies
- Charlie Chaplin shorts
- Harold Lloyd films
This Film Influenced
- Later wedding comedy shorts
- Domestic sitcoms
- Romantic comedies
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Film Restoration
The film is considered lost, which is common for silent era shorts. Many Christie Film Company productions have not survived due to the decomposition of nitrate film stock and lack of preservation efforts in the early decades of cinema.