In this film, veteran silent comedian Ben Turpin plays, of all things, an actor. He's the lead in a film and does a lot of stunts as well. What I particularly liked was once again seeing the homely and diminutive Ben once again playing a strong male hero--a great and silly bit of casting indeed. It's really pretty interesting to see Ben performing and the behind the scene shots of the director and cinematographer as they film this fictional movie.
While I will be the first to admit that this Ben Turpin comedy short is far from "high art" and has none of the polish of a Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin film, it does have a lot of charm and it is a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Most of this is because the film plays like a cartoon come to life--with outrageous stunts, almost non-stop action and a silliness that is infectious.
While I will be the first to admit that this Ben Turpin comedy short is far from "high art" and has none of the polish of a Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin film, it does have a lot of charm and it is a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Most of this is because the film plays like a cartoon come to life--with outrageous stunts, almost non-stop action and a silliness that is infectious.