Dick Turpin. 1925. Directed by John G. Blystone.

(6/30/01)

This film came alive for me sporadically. I had trouble following it at first, but after a while I was able to follow it better. Set in eighteenth-century England it is a very handsome production.

Tom Mix was likable enough, but I just didn't find him a very interesting presence. He's basically a product--a name one associates with westerns that feature a lot of action and stunts. He does have one very moving scene in Dick Turpin, however. It is the scene when his horse is killed. Mix brings that scene off, but I find I have more feeling for the horse than for him.

None of the human characters in Dick Turpin were really all that interesting. They went through their paces supporting an action story about a highwayman who rescues a damsel in distress. They were all a supporting cast.

The horse, though, was interesting all the way through. Early on, Mix leaves it on its own to follow him, which it does.

For all of the quality of the production, some of the action sequences weren't as exciting as they should have been. I'm thinking of the boxing sequence in which Turpin hides from his pursuers by impersonating a boxer in the ring--this scene just seems to hang there--and the final chase which just seems to go on forever.

Our Hospitality. 1923. Directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone.

(2/19/00-2/22/00)

I suppose I'm a little disappointed in this film, but that's probably because I have wanted to see it for so long. Also, I really don't feel so good today.

I suppose that I just expected the idea of the feud and of Keaton having to be treated civilly indoors while they are waiting to get him outdoors so they can shoot him to be more developed. I thought that we were in for one really rich satire. But it is unfair to expect so much from a picture.

It is certainly a beautiful film to look at. The views of New York in 1830 are delightful, as is the wonderful train ride to the hills. The train ride was exploited for all it was worth, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the little dog who follows all the way. That was a beautiful touch.

Also memorable is when they blow up th edam for irrigation purposes and the water begins to fall on Keaton who thinks it is raining and opens his umbrella. And then the water really pours over him, concealing him from the men who are looking for him. That is the kind of thing Keaton does which is really visually clever.

Another visual touch that I liked was this: When Keaton thinks about the property he has inherited we see a picture of a stately mansion, which is what he imagines it to be like. When he actually sees the ramshackle little house that is his we see the picture again--and it explodes as his fantasy is exploded. I really liked that.

The film did seem to drag later on. I suppose I wanted or expected him to do even more to ridicule feuding and a hypocritical code of manners. I expected that the feud would be resolved through Keaton marrying the heroine and wasn't disappointed. But even though the ending was predictable it was thoroughly appropriate.