The Last of the Mohicans (1920)

NOTE: I'm only going to give general impressions of this one.  The transfer I saw was terrible.  Almost turned it off bad.  Westlake Entertainment is responsible for it.  The starting print may have been bad, but there are points when half the frame is not even on the screen. Ugly.

Directed by Maurice Tourneur
Starring Theodore Lorch, Harry Lorraine, Nelson McDowell
Produced by Maurice Tourneur Productions

The Last of the Mohicans is a film adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's novel.  The story focuses on a love story between an Indian warrior and a British commander's daughter set against the backdrop of battle and betrayal at Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War.

Noble Mohican Uncas and his father attempt to warn the British of the impending attack by the French and Huron tribe.  Cora and Alice Munro head to Fort Henry to meet their father, but are betrayed by their Huron guide, Magua.  Fortunately, the Mohicans and their friend Hawkeye happen upon the women and attempt to lead them to the fort.  What follows is a series of adventures with the Munros taken captive and the Mohicans mounting a rescue, ultimately leading to a showdown between Uncas and Magua as Cora's life hangs in the balance.

I previously saw Tourneur's The Blue Bird (1918), one of my favorite films of the previous decade.  And I love Michael Mann's 1992 adaptation with Daniel Day Lewis (yes, it is flawed, but the soundtrack and the ending chase remain amongst my favorites in cinema).  So, needless to say I was excited for this one.

What a disappointment.

Little of Tourneur's visual inventiveness from The Blue Bird is here.  It's a fairly straightforward telling of the story.  It is very different from the 1992 version with the central romance here being an interracial one as opposed to the modern tale's focus on Hawkeye.  It's well-edited and appears to be well shot, but it's pedestrian compared to the director's previous work.

The acting in this is just bad.  Barbara Bedford as Cora has no reaction to anything.  She is just blank throughout.  No emotion at all.  And that is critical because you have to buy that three different characters would be fighting for her.

A lot of the rest of the movie is hard to judge.  The print was bad enough that in medium and long shots you could not differentiate the characters.  All of the British characters looked exactly the same in their scenes.  That made it tough to follow.  Here's a sample shot:

or

Try reading that

I am not going to do a formal star review of this one because of the viewing issues.  My impressions of it were not good, but it seems unfair to judge based on the transfer I saw.

Watched on Netflix DVD

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Just Pals (1920)

The pals hanging out

Directed by "Jack" Ford
Starring Buck Jones, Helen Ferguson, George Stone
Produced by Fox Film Corporation

Bim is the town bum.  No one associates with him.  Parents advise their kids to be careful or they may grow up to be Bim.  He sleeps in a hay loft all day and complains that watching people work makes him tired.  His only interest is in the pretty school teacher Mary Bruce, but she only has eyes for the local banker Harvey Cahill.

One day, a runaway boy named Bill gets caught riding the rails through town and Bim intervenes to protect the boy.  Bim takes Bill under his wing, much to the dismay of the town.  Mary advises Bim that his ward should be going to school so off Bill goes to be educated.  However, Bill is bullied by the other boys because of Bim's social status. 

Bim decides to try to get a job, but he needs a uniform.  Bill attempts to steal one from a rail car, but the train takes off with Bill on board, forcing the boy to jump and injure himself.  The town doctor sees there is a reward for the missing boy and conspire to take Bill from Bim.

All of this, plus a conspiracy by Cahill to embezzle funds from the memorial fund run by Mary and a bank robbery that Bim finds himself smack in the middle of?  Can Bim go straight?  Or will he end up hanging from a tree limb, wrongfully accused?  And who is Bill's dad?

John Ford = horses

Just Pals is a really enjoyable series of adventures in the life of a loveable loser.  The plot is cliche today (man on the wrong path has his life changed by the unexpected introduction of a child).  However, this is really well done.  John Ford is the director here and seems incapable of shooting a bad frame.  I've included a couple of extra pictures with this one simply because of how beautiful this one was in its simplicity.

There are a lot of genres here: drama, comedy, mystery, western.  None of the transitions feel jarring.  The plot move at a breakneck pace and there is a lot of forward momentum and character moments of the course of a 50 minute running time.

The acting is also great.  Buck Jones is fantastic as the lead.  He is funny, sympathetic and has that charm that no matter what he is doing at any moment, he's always likable. George Stone plays Bill and is a natural actor.  Bill's every action in the film feels completely organic to the plot.  The other characters are pretty generic, though I did find the local law enforcement officer to be hysterical throughout.

A simple moment, perfectly framed

By the end, Bim is the only one in town who is actually without blemish.  Mary gives Cahill the money from the fund, despite her better judgment.  The townspeople all end up at a prayer meeting where no one gives to the collection plate.  Bim is a bum, but he's the only person with a heart of gold.

I really liked this film.  It's a simple tale, simply told, but I think that is its virtue.  Great acting and great directing go a long way.

**** out of *****

Watched on DVD from Netflix

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Way Down East (1920)

The amazing ice floes ending from Way Down East

Directed by D.W. Griffith
Starring Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess
Produced by D.W. Griffith Productions

Anna Moore lives with her mother in the country.  The poor family needs money and Anna heads off to visit her rich relatives in Boston for a loan.  The extended family is less than thrilled to see their country bumpkin niece show up.  Anna sticks around for a ball and meets Lennox Sanderson, who we are told has three specialties: "ladies, Ladies and LADIES".

Lennox proposes to Anna and all seems well.  Except Lennox tells his betrothed to keep it a secret, then pays someone to pretend to be a priest and marry them.  Off they go on their honeymoon and, after a few reluctant moments, the sham marriage is consummated. 

The marriage of course results in a pregnancy, which forces Lennox to come clean.  Anna is on her own and gives birth to a boy.  But the boy is sick and dies in short order.

Anna is now a social pariah (having a baby and no husband is a big no-no) and is evicted from her room.  She wanders into another town where she meets up with the Bartletts and finds work on their farm.  She keeps her past a secret from them, but catches the eye of the Bartletts' son David.  She resists his advances, ashamed of her past.

Soon enough Lennox ends up at the estate across the street from the Bartletts.  Will Anna's secret be revealed to her new adoptive family.  And can David love her in spite of her past?

Way Down East is the tale of two movies.  One has impressive acting by the two main leads and a climax as visually stunning and engaging as any I have seen in the silent era.  The other is pretentious, in need of editing and full of characters who appear to be in a different movie.

Let's talk about the first.  Lillian Gish is easily now my favorite actress of the silent era thus far.  She is natural in most scenes, but when the emotional moment comes, she goes for it.  And it never seems over the top.

Richard Barthelmess is someone I hope to see more of.  He is great as David, underplaying his role for much of the movie.  He is pitch perfect in his confusion when Anna's secret comes to light, then he is fantastic in his rage at Lennox when he discovers the circumstances behind Anna's pregnancy.

If a 2-1/2 hour movie can be saved by a ten minute ending sequence, this is one comes as close as any.  Anna runs from the Bartletts' home into a winter storm, ultimately collapsing near an icy stream bank.  The ice breaks away from the shore and large chunks of the ice start flowing down river.  David chases her onto the river, jumping from ice chunk to ice chunk to reach Anna before the ice floes go over the waterfall.  It's a thrilling chase, masterfully edited and perfectly acted.

Unfortunately, the film has a lot of problems as well.  Griffith has developed this annoying habit with his language.  It's flowery as though written by someone who wishes he were a poet, but doesn't have the skill.  A sample:

Time and place - in the story world of make-believe
Characters - nowhere - yet everywhere
Incidents - never occurred - yet always happening

Beyond the language, his film style conveys a sense of over-the-top imagery that is out of place.  At one point, a bird lands on Gish's shoulder, demonstrative of her goodness and harmony with nature.  It's unnecessary.  The audience is already on her side. 

A lot of the secondary characters are completely unnecessary.  The Bartletts are surrounded by townsfolk who attempt to serve as comic relief.  Unfortunately, it's hard to make the audience laugh at the inept constable when you've just killed off our heroine's baby. 

Finally, there is one moment in its sheer lunacy I need to point out.  The Bartlett patriarch, Squire, is told secondhand that Anna had birthed a child out of wedlock.  He is angry, but his wife says he needs proof.  So the next morning he gets up bright and early and rides a sleigh to Anna's former town.  He arrives at noon.  He walks into her old room and ask the landlady if it's true.  She confirms it in two sentences.  He then goes back out, gets in his sleigh and drives back.  The guy just went ten hours round trip to have a 90 second conversation.  And that is proof.  It's completely unnecessary in the story.  He could have just acted on the initial claim and you could have had the same result.

You could have cut this movie by almost half and had a lot of the same impact.  A lot of the opening 45 minutes is plodding and unnecessary.  There's a lot of melodramatic filler throughout the movie that could have been lost and I would not have missed it.

It's hard to say whether this is good movie or bad movie.  There are moments I loved and moments that were painful to sit through.  I guess I'd give it a middle of the road:

**1/2 out of *****

Watched on Netflix Watch Instantly

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The Mark of Zorro (1920)

Directed by Fred Niblo
Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De La Motte, Naoh Beery
Produced by Douglas Fairbanks Pictures

California's natives are being oppressed.  The Spanish Governor and the armies are merciless with the poor and if some of the more well-off families are starting to feel the pinch.  Of course, oppression also serves to create a champion for the people and California's champion is the mysterious Zorro.

Members of the army sit in taverns discussing the mysterious "Z" carved onto the cheek of one of their comrades.  Sergeant Gonzalez brags about how he will take down the mysterious masked man.  Into this scene walks Senor Diego Vega, the son of a rich and respected of Californian society.  Vega is a weakling who cannot stomach the idea of violence and Gonzalez continues his rant against Zorro.  Diaz leaves, but soon the masked man appears. 

The army men draw swords, but Zorro draws a gun and herds them all behind the bar.  He challenges Gonzalez to a duel.  The ensuing battle finds Zorro playing the part of cat to Gonzalez' helpless mouse.  Zorro is vaulting over tables and onto mantles, mocking his opponent the entire time.  After having his bit of fun, the mysterious swashbuckler makes his escape.

Zorro's antics do not sit well Captain Ramon.  Ramon is a skilled fighter and is pursuing the hand of Lolita Pulido, a rich family whose fortune is threatened by the Governor.  The Pulidos would rather see their daughter marry Vega in order to secure the family fortune.  Lolita of course has an encounter with Zorro and now she only has eyes for the bandit.

Can Zorro unite the caballeros against the Governor and his men?  Who will win the hand of Lolita?  And just who is the mysterious Zorro?

This.  Was.  Awesome.

This is my favorite version of Zorro (though I have not seen the 1940 version yet).  Fairbanks is amazing in the title role.  Leaping over obstacles, climbing walls, using every object at his disposal to elude and torment his would-be captors.  The guy is Bruce Wayne.  He has the playboy secret identity. He has the mask.  He even has his own version of the Batcave.  No wonder a viewing of Zorron played prominently into Batman's origin.  It's all here.

Zorro proves to be a comedic hero as well.  He's not content to simply escape the army; they have to look like fools in the process.  When he leaves the tavern at the beginning, the army leaves to pursue him. So he reenters the tavern through a window and waits for them there.  When he's being chased later, one of his pursuers gets stuck on a fence.  Zorro doubles back to free the man, but the soldier never turns to see who freed him and continues on his merry way.

I liked Fairbanks turn as Vega as well.  He is constantly playing with his hat and thinks he can win the hand of the girl through magic tricks.  Very funny stuff.

It's not a perfect film.  There are moments that drag.  Zorro must give a rousing speech at the end that kills a lot of the momentum the film had.  The ending is very contrived with the army announcing they are now inexplicably with Zorro.  Still, The Mark of Zorro is a great, fun movie for all ages.  The first real swashbuckler!

****1/2 out of *****

Watched on Netflix Watch Instantly

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Why Change Your Wife? (1920)

A very pre-Titanic Gloria Swanson

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Starring Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Thomas Meighan
Produced by Famous Players-Lasky Company

Robert Gordon lives a frustrating life.  The simple act of shaving is constantly interrupted by his wife Beth.  She won't let him play the music he likes.  She doesn't like his smoking.  She hates his dog.  She doesn't like his drinking and thinks the money spent on his wine cellar could better serve those who are starving.  He tries buying Beth some negligee and meets a fetching young model Sally while making the purchase.  Beth of course is completely embarrassed by the purchase as it offends her moral sensibilities.


One night, he surprises Beth with tickets to a show.  She made alternate plans to host friends to hear Radinoff, a violin player that Robert can't stand.  With Beth refusing to go, Robert attends the show with Sally (who conveniently arrived to drop off a missing piece of the lingerie).  They go back to Sally's place and Robert finds she is a woman who likes his music, who lights his cigarette, who drinks.  At the end of the evening, they kiss.  Robert instantly regrets it and leaves.  Beth however smells perfume on Robert's clothing and the two are soon divorced.

Everything is reversed.  Robert marries Sally, who immediately begins complaining about his dog and his smoking.  She even interrupts his beloved shaving ritual.  Beth learns that she was viewed by others as a prude and begins donning sexier gowns and dresses.  When the couple goes away for the weekend, they find Beth coincidentally there as well.  Robert notices the change in the woman who now even loves dogs.  The two are still obviously in love.  But can fate push them back together?  And where would that leave Sally?

This is a REALLY dated movie that is completely saved by its third act.  In the first act, Robert drinks too much, smokes too much, spends money on frivolous things, and stays out late.  If that sounds like your typical teenager, you are not far off.  Only, the movie treats his vices like a virtue.  Some sample title cards:

Molten lead on the skin is soothing compared to a wife's constant disapproval...

A husband hates to have his soul improved too soon after dinner - particularly when he is thinking how charming his wife will look in her new negligee.

It is the wife's conscience that 'doth make cowards of us all.'

That's right.  Robert is the hero here.  The adulterer, drinking, smoking, spending guy is who we are cheering for.  But more than that.  The wife is denigrated for no great reason throughout the early part of the film.

During the second act, there is more of the same in the relationship between Robert and Sally.  However, add to that the sexy out fits Beth takes to wearing.  They look like tablecloths.  I have seen the pattern on her bathing suit hanging as curtains on dining room windows.  Obviously, this is a product of the times and you get the point when she is surrounded by every stereotypical manly man (including a pilot and a war hero).  For me, it looked a little silly.

The third act turns more melodramatic and the acting really shines.  Robert and Beth, trying to escape one another, end up on the same train from the hotel back to town.  As they walk from the train car, Robert slips on a banana peel (seriously) and suffers a serious head injury.  Beth takes Robert back to her house, where a doctor declares that the head injury has placed a strain on his heart and he cannot be moved for 24 hours.  Sally arrives and of course immediately wants to move her husband.  They fight with Beth ultimately winning by threatening to scar Sally's face with acid.  When Robert has recovered enough to move back with Sally, the wife realizes her husband still loves Beth and tries to throw the acid in her face.  Only the acid was really harmless eye wash.  Beth had punk'd Sally.

With Sally's superficiality revealed, Robert can stay with Beth and enjoy a wife who pours his drinks and lights his cigars (Freud would have something to say about the move from cigarettes) while wearing lingerie.

Swanson is fantastic and completely sells every emotion in the final act.  She is caring and compassionate with the injured Robert.  She turns ferocious in protecting her love from Sally.  The look she shoots Bebe Daniels' Sally as they are fighting is pure rage and hatred.  What could have been an embarrassing end to the film turns into its saving grace.

So the ultimate message is:

And now you know what every husband knows: that a man would rather have his wife for his sweetheart than any other woman: but Ladies: if you would be your husband's sweetheart, you simply must learn when to forget that you're his wife.

Wives are by design to be critical of their husbands.  But by not acting like a wife, they can be great wives.

Or something.

**1/2 out of *****

Watched on Netflix Watch Instantly

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Jekyll becomes Hyde

Directed by John S. Robertson
Starring John Barrymore, Charles Lane and Brandon Hurst
Produced by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation

Dr. Henry Jekyll is a paragon of virtue.  When he's not seeing to his experiments in his laboratory, he is operating a free clinic to take care of the poor.  His fiancee, Millicent Carew, is in love with him, but finds herself playing second fiddle to his other pursuits.  Her father George believe that Jekyll is suppressing his baser instincts and that resisting temptation is ultimately unhealthy.  He takes the idealistic doctor out for a night on the town, and, after meeting the exotic Gina, Jekyll finds his faith shaken.

However, he channels that into a new quest.  He wants to separate the good aspect of man (the soul) from the evil traits inherent in all men.  Jekyll formulates a drug that turns him into the embodiment of carnal lust and rage, a creature he names Mr. Hyde.  Jekyll's alter ego can do all of the things the doctor dare not, including loving and leaving Gina.  But as the villainous Hyde begins harboring more murderous feelings, Dr. Jekyll begins to lose control over his transformations.  Can the good doctor put his evil doppleganger under wraps or is it already too late to save his soul and the woman he loves?

I love Victorian era dramas and horrors.  Not just any, but those that ping pong between the upper crust of society and the foreboding gas-lit shadows of a dreary London.  This movie oozes atmosphere in a way that you cannot get from any other period or any other place.  The interiors are lush and opulent and the exteriors are dingy and menacing. A perfect setting for the strange case of Jekyll and Hyde.

John Barrymore plays both the good doctor and his alter ego and he is fantastic in both.  Early on, when he transforms into Hyde, it is all a trick of facial contortion and the way he sets his eyes.  The make-up comes later and only accentuates the look Barrymore gives the character.  Unlike later versions, the monster he creates seems human and that makes him all the more frightening.

Barrymore is also very good as the doctor.  Understated at first, the viewer can feel his desperation and frustration as he loses control over Hyde.  The evil aspect of his role is more showy, but he carries off the more subtle aspects well.

The rest of the cast does well in their roles, with the exception of Martha Mansfield as Millicent.  She does a lot of staring at nothing with little to no emotion. When she finds out about the death of a loved one, she does not look sad as much as annoyed, as though someone just informed her toilet paper was stuck to her shoe.

The movie poses some interesting if simplistic food for thought about the nature of good and evil.  Jekyll is good, Hyde is evil.  Yet Jekyll's desire to experience evil without repercussion is what sets the drama in motion.  Hyde may ultimately fail in his relationships, but at least he puts forth some effort.  Jekyll's work may be altruistic but it ultimately keeps those would love him at arm's length.  Jekyll's vision is clearly not right.  Should we yield to temptation to keep our sanity as George suggests.  Or is it better to simply not dabble in such supernatural thoughts as Jekyll's friend Lanyon admonishes him at the outset.

Needless to say, I loved this movie. Much better than the 1912 version.  Definitely recommend.

****1/2 out of *****

Watched on Netflix Watch Instantly

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Number, Please? (1920)

A baby, a nickel and an operator cause Harold problems

Directed by Hal Roach, Fred C. Newmeyer
Starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis and Roy Brooks
Produced by Rolin Films

A despondent Harold Lloyd rides a roller coaster at the amusement park, but the twists and turns cannot help him take his mind off of his love.  After the ride, he sees the girl with her new boyfriend and tries to impress her at a carnival game, but his distracted throws prove costly.  When the girl's dog runs away, Harold has a chance to get back in her good graces.

After finding the dog, the girl wants to go on a balloon ride with the suitors, but her pass is only good for two.  Whoever can get her mother's permission first gets her hand.  Harold tries the telephone while Roy drives to the mother's house.  Who will win?  And how does a stolen purse come into play.

This Harold Lloyd short had me for about half of the 25 minute running time, then it just started becoming tedious.  The opening on the roller coaster was very funny as was most of the search for the dog.  When Harold ties the the animal's leash to the carousel, you know what's coming, but the execution is very good.

Once Harold starts trying to make the phone call, it becomes repetitive, obvious and unfunny.  All of the phones are being used.  The operator connects him to wrong numbers.  He doesn't have a nickel to put in the payphone.  His facial reactions are all basically the same and the obstacles are all relatively the same.

Once he is suspected of stealing the purse, it has moments of humor, but is again pretty repetitive. The one great laugh out loud moment was how he enlists a small boy to help him elude the police.

Technically, it's very well done.  It's well shot, well edited and the print on YouTube was gorgeous.

This is an okay comedy.  Not great, but certainly not bad.  The opening and closing seem to be going for a Charlie Chaplin feel, but it never quite get there.

**1/2 out of *****

Watched on YouTube

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One Week (1920)

Keaton attempts to build a house.

Directed by  Edward F. Kline and Buster Keaton
Starring Buster Keaton, Sybil Seeling and Joe Roberts
Produced by Joseph M. Schenk Productions

Buster Keaton has just married his girl and is being driven from the ceremony by his former romantic rival.  The newlyweds receive an envelope informing them Buster's uncle has given them a house.  Unfortunately, they find the house in boxes waiting to be assembled.  When the girl's former suitor decides to cause mischief by switching the boxes around, the result is a home that looks like it was designed by Salvador Dali.  Can the couple make the best of a crazy situation?

The story here is paper thin, but that is okay.  The whole tale exists only to give Keaton a canvas for some amazing sight gags and physical comedy.  There's a moment in the first few minutes where Keaton is straddling two cars when a motorcycle drives in between the cars and hits the comedian.  It's completely unexpected and gives the viewer a moment of "how did anyone not die making these movies?".

The house reminds me of Tom Hanks' The Money Pit.  There's a particular moment when one of the floors sags in a way reminiscent of the classic 1980s comedy.  Characters are also subjected to multiple two story drops, including one where someone runs off the second floor, hits the ground and keeps on running. 

The tale is slight, but Keaton is hysterical.  I laughed out loud twice watching this and I am not one prone to laugh out loud.  Very well done.

**** out of *****

NOTE: This was Keaton's first film without Fatty Arbuckle.

Watched on Google Video
Photo from The Spirit of Discordance

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Spiders, Part 2 (1920)

Kay Hoog learns the secrets of the Buddha-head diamond

Directed by Fritz Lang
Starring Carl de Vogt, Ressel Orla, Georg John
Produced by Decla-Bioscop AG

Remember the moment early in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Indy awakens on his plane to find the pilots have bailed out and left no parachutes.  Inspired by his desperation, our hero grabs his two reluctant traveling companions and leaps from the plane in an inflatable raft.

Now imagine that Dr. Jones' plan the entire time was to take a plane to a remote Asian jungle and leap from it in nothing but a life raft.  Imagine it was not borne out of necessity and survival instinct, but instead was always the preferred way of leaping from the plane.

You have just gained an understanding of the awesomeness of Kay Hoog.

Early in Spiders, Part 2, Hoog accompanies the police on a raid of the house where his arch-nemesis Lio Sha is hiding out.  Hoog elects to take a biplane and leap from the aircraft onto the roof of the house.  Without a parachute.  He does this not out of desperation or necessity.  He leaps from a low flying airplane because IT'S HIS PLAN!  He does it because he's Kay Hoog and if he has the opportunity to jump out of a plane, he's taking it.  He does it because it is the coolest way to go in.

Spiders, Part 2 is the follow up to the appropriately titled Spiders, Part 1.  The previous chapter found Lio Sha expressing her love for Hoog and him telling her to pound sand.  He was in love with the Incan princess he had just rescued.  Sha responds by killing said royalty.  Now Hoog is out for revenge.

He gets his opportunity as both Hoog and Sha's shadowy Spiders are after the Buddha-head Diamond.  Legend tells that the diamond can restore power throughout Asia to... it doesn't matter really.  The jewel is a MacGuffin to get our players moving.

After raiding Sha's house (she escapes), Hoog discovers her plan and traces the Spiders to an opium den in a secret Chinese city under San Francisco.  He pretends to smoke the wacky tobacky and pass out, but is pretty quickly captured anyway.  The Spiders trap him in a chamber that fills with water.  He escapes.  How?  Well... The movie is never clear on that.

The walls are closing in on our hero.

Hoog does however stow away in a crate aboard Sha's ship The Storm Bird.  His crate has a well-appointed library with a reading light and ninja gear.  He may as well be sitting in his study at home.  He sneaks out of the crate in his ninja garb to intercept messages between the Spiders.

Ultimately, the search for the diamond leads them to a London diamond magnate and his daughter Ellen.  You immediately know Ellen is destined to fall for Hoog.  You also know she's got to be kidnapped by the Spiders.

Hoog is now on a mission to retrieve the diamond AND save Ellen.  It's a race to the Falklands with our hero one step ahead of the villains.

Fritz Lang is still clearly developing as a director.  There are parts of this film that are incomprehensible.  The pieces are there but the transitions could be clearer.  At times, the story seems to meander listlessly.  Still, it has an energy and story unlike anything I've seen in the 1910s.

My two regrets about Spiders are that a) Lang never made the third and fourth chapters, and b) Hollywood has never revisited this material.  There are some fun ideas here.  Secret cities guarded by tigers under San Francisco.  Wifi across the ocean 100 years ago.  Booby-trapped evil lairs where the walls threaten to crush you (see the trash compactor scene in Star Wars).

If you are looking for a fun, throw-back, popcorn flick, it is hard to go wrong with the Spiders series.  Because Kay Hoog is the originial Dr. Jones.

**** out of *****

Watched on Netflix Watch Instantly

Photo from Silent Volume

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1920: Hollywood Royalty Gets Married

We are kicking off decade number 2 here at 100 Years and the cultural event of the year was the marriage of filmdom's two biggest stars: Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.  Because both were divorced (the start of a Hollywood tradition), they approached their European honeymoon with concern about crowd reaction (Pickford had only divorced weeks earlier from her previous husband).  In the end, they were treated like royalty and mobbed by adoring fans everywhere they went.  They also bought a mansion and named it "Pickfair", apparently beginning the unnecessary tradition of combining the names of Hollywood couples.

In national news, 1920 saw the first radio broadcast and the first votes for women.  As far as film milestones go, this is a quiet year.  Fairbanks moves from comedies and westerns into the swashbucklers that defined him with The Mark of Zorro.  Buster Keaton headlines his own comedy short without Fatty Arbuckle for the first time in One Week.  And the first true color animation appears in the form of The Debut of Thomas Cat.

What are watching?  I'm finally viewing my first Fairbanks feature with The Mark of Zorro.  I also want to track down Keaton's solo debut.  Beyond that, I'm eying D.W. Griffith's Way Down East, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with John Barrymore, and Cecil B. DeMille's Why Change Your Wife (all on Netflix Watch Instantly).  Also, I'm a huge fan of Michael Mann's Last of the Mohicans so Maurice Tourneur's version is a must watch.

And of course, Kay Hoog!  Spiders, Part 2!  More goofy awesomeness!

NOTE: An anonymous commenter pointed out that the picture in the original article was not in fact Pickfair.  After careful research (okay, 15 seconds of googling) I confirmed and have updated the picture (which comes from The Silver Screen Affair.

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