While it seems rather sad that less than five years after the birth of cinema filmmakers were already raiding the back-catalogue for ideas, this film does serve a useful purpose in showing how much the techniques of film-making had developed over that period. Where the Lumiere's original was filmed with the action in profile, here the shot is given more depth and life by positioning the camera at an angle to the action and behind the prankster. This film also develops the second part of the film - the chase of the boy - to flesh out the joke of the boy stepping on the gardener's hose to coax him into peering into it's spout. When all is said and done, though, it's still an unnecessary remake.
7 Reviews
Reenactment of the water planting scene
Horst_In_Translation14 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"The Biter Bit" also known as "Gardener Watering Plants" is another of Bamforth's remakes of previously interesting or successful short film work. Here they show us their take on the story of the boy who stepped on the garden hose and as the gardener looks inside what's wrong, steps down again and has a nice wet surprise for the poor guy. Revenge follows quickly though. The only really different and interesting thing from this little comedy is that it was filmed from the little prankster, who's in the background in the original film and not from the gardener. The kid even interacts with the camera occasionally. Still an okay short film, even if the innovation factor was gone.
been there, done that
planktonrules15 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Aside from the fact that this same bit was done on The Simpsons, I can't think of why this film would be of much interest today--especially since there are actually OTHER films of the same time period that are identical. One was certainly bad enough!! For example, Lumière made almost the exact same film five years earlier. However, at the time, it was standard practice for the small and large movie producers to liberally "borrow" (i.e., plagiarize) from each other. So, you might have several films with the exact same title and that are practically indistinguishable from each other. This one is about a prankster standing on a hose and then the guy with the hose looks at it and is shot in the face with water. Ha (this doesn't even merit a second "ha").
A Resourceful Remake
Snow Leopard4 March 2005
This Bamforth and Company remake of the Lumière classic "L'arroseur arrosé" is resourceful and rather enjoyable. It keeps the amusing premise of the original feature, and adds some new ideas to it, to create a somewhat more elaborate film.
Bamforth made a number of films that took previous ideas from other film-makers, and then either added to them or changed some of the techniques. "The Biter Bit" is one of the more effective of these movies that resulted. It does not have quite the originality or freshness of the Lumière original, but it works well enough on its own.
This version adds a couple of things to the original. It puts its own twist on the story, to make it somewhat more involved than the original was. More than that, it changes the camera angle, so as to take in some background action, and also so as to view the main action from a different angle. All of this works fairly well, and it makes "The Biter Bit" an early remake worth seeing.
Bamforth made a number of films that took previous ideas from other film-makers, and then either added to them or changed some of the techniques. "The Biter Bit" is one of the more effective of these movies that resulted. It does not have quite the originality or freshness of the Lumière original, but it works well enough on its own.
This version adds a couple of things to the original. It puts its own twist on the story, to make it somewhat more involved than the original was. More than that, it changes the camera angle, so as to take in some background action, and also so as to view the main action from a different angle. All of this works fairly well, and it makes "The Biter Bit" an early remake worth seeing.
Boy, they sure liked this idea
Tornado_Sam27 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is the third (I repeat, THE THIRD) version of this topic when a gardener is watering flowers when someone steps on the hose and clogs it up. The gardener inspects the hose, the troublemaker pulls his foot away and, well, the gardener is watered instead of the flowers.Then the mischievous guy gets what is coming to him.
The first version of this, that is, the original idea, was made by the Lumiere brothers in 1895. Then Georges Melies decides to copy it (but his version is presumed lost to history) and then Bamforth & Co butts in a couple years later and goes back and repeats the same practical joke. I'm pretty sure by this time the audiences were tiring of the same old joke. I think it's a nice little piece but the Lumiere brothers piece is just as entertaining. There's nothing much different here except the camera is at a different angle to show what's happening. Also there's a new joke added at the end when the troublemaker gets his punishment (which is the reason they call this "The Biter Bit") but overall there's not any big difference between the versions, except what I pointed out.
Try it out if you want. It's a good enough film to watch several times. It's still amusing enough, even today.
The first version of this, that is, the original idea, was made by the Lumiere brothers in 1895. Then Georges Melies decides to copy it (but his version is presumed lost to history) and then Bamforth & Co butts in a couple years later and goes back and repeats the same practical joke. I'm pretty sure by this time the audiences were tiring of the same old joke. I think it's a nice little piece but the Lumiere brothers piece is just as entertaining. There's nothing much different here except the camera is at a different angle to show what's happening. Also there's a new joke added at the end when the troublemaker gets his punishment (which is the reason they call this "The Biter Bit") but overall there's not any big difference between the versions, except what I pointed out.
Try it out if you want. It's a good enough film to watch several times. It's still amusing enough, even today.
A copy of Lumière but with better timing and comic delivery
bob the moo2 March 2008
I watched this film on a DVD that was rammed with short films from the period. I didn't watch all of them as the main problem with these type of things that their value is more in their historical novelty value rather than entertainment. So to watch them you do need to be put in the correct context so that you can keep this in mind and not watch it with modern eyes. With the Primitives & Pioneers DVD collection though you get nothing to help you out, literally the films are played one after the other (the main menu option is "play all") for several hours. With this it is hard to understand their relevance and as an educational tool it falls down as it leaves the viewer to fend for themselves, which I'm sure is fine for some viewers but certainly not the majority. What it means is that the DVD saves you searching the web for the films individually by putting them all in one place but that's about it.
The joke here is a gardener has his hose shut off by a prankster until he looks down it, then "whoosh". Lumière did the same gag but here it is delivered with more humour and attention to the material and not just the filming process. It is still not hilarious but it is well delivered and at least goes to a better ending. Although it does seem like Bamforth & Company tend to copy others work, this film is still amusing but the "copying" aspect will reduce its value in the eyes of some.
The joke here is a gardener has his hose shut off by a prankster until he looks down it, then "whoosh". Lumière did the same gag but here it is delivered with more humour and attention to the material and not just the filming process. It is still not hilarious but it is well delivered and at least goes to a better ending. Although it does seem like Bamforth & Company tend to copy others work, this film is still amusing but the "copying" aspect will reduce its value in the eyes of some.
A Biter Remake
Michael_Elliott7 August 2015
The Biter Bit (1899)
Bamforth Films was quite busy in 1899. Not only did they rip-off George Albert Smith's A KISS IN THE TUNNEL but they also ripped off TABLES TURNED ON THE GARDNENER from 1895.
The plot is pretty simple as a man is using a hose to water a garden when a jokster holds it tight. The gardner thinks it's clogged so he holds it at his face and.... You know what happens next. It's funny but I'm really going to start going through more Bamforth Films because it's pretty clear they enjoyed ripping off more popular movies. This one here isn't nearly as funny as the original but there's no question that the prank does manage to get a laugh and the gardner's reaction is a lot more violent here. This is an interesting film but you should certainly watch the original first.
Bamforth Films was quite busy in 1899. Not only did they rip-off George Albert Smith's A KISS IN THE TUNNEL but they also ripped off TABLES TURNED ON THE GARDNENER from 1895.
The plot is pretty simple as a man is using a hose to water a garden when a jokster holds it tight. The gardner thinks it's clogged so he holds it at his face and.... You know what happens next. It's funny but I'm really going to start going through more Bamforth Films because it's pretty clear they enjoyed ripping off more popular movies. This one here isn't nearly as funny as the original but there's no question that the prank does manage to get a laugh and the gardner's reaction is a lot more violent here. This is an interesting film but you should certainly watch the original first.
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