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Length: 155 minutes
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher, Julanne Johnson, Sojin, Anna May Wong, Brandon Hurst, Noble Johnson, Tote Du Crow
Eric's Impressions: I'm not sure star Douglas Fairbanks meant to have his character come across so silly on the screen, but if he did, bravo. Fairbanks played the part as if he was a ballerina trapped in a theater production that just so happen to have some cameras rolling to produce the most expensive film of its time. Though most of the sets were amazing, some just looked ridiculous, but I shouldn't pile on the filmmakers as it was made in 1924. The first half was much more enjoyable because it wasn't so serious, but a love story overtook the fun as the action progressed.
Natalie's Impressions: This is the first Fairbanks movie I have ever seen. Because of this movie, I will forever associate Fairbanks with a monkey. Or maybe an orangutan. Not only does he move like an ape, he has these very silly and mischievous facial expressions. His movements are very large, almost as if he was a theater actor on a stage, trying to reach out to an audience in the last row. The little pumping hand gesture he does repeatedly is equally memorable- I won't say any more about that. You will just have to see the movie to fully appreciate it. The film as a whole starts out really strong and has a lighthearted feel to it and then it gets very serious and not as entertaining, although the sets used throughout the movie are enough to make your jaw drop considering it was made in 1924. The set designer, William Cameron Menzies, created the largest movie set in Hollywood history with his six-and-a-half-acre Bagdad set.
COUNTDOWN: Just 984 movies to go!
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