This Australian silent film was apparently reassembled in recent years from various available prints. Unfortunately, about five minutes of the movie is still missing. The film was based, in part, on a real life thief in Australia--a man who was made a hero despite clearly being a crook.
Captain Starlight was a gentleman robber—sort of like Robin Hood—except that the government was NOT corrupt and Starlight was clearly a criminal. Well, this isn't exactly clear, as the film seems to shift in its portrayal of this bad-man. Sometimes, he's described in positive terms but at the end there is a preachy epilogue about 'crime not paying' and all that rot. Regardless, a couple Brothers and their father (the Marsdens) inexplicably join him in one of his robberies—and the film is about how it ultimately destroys their lives and the lives of their women. It's actually amazing that they crammed so much plot into 56 minutes, as it has more plot than many 90 minute films! Shootouts, horse chases and the like fill this movie—and make it exciting compared to the average film of the era. My score of 6 is based on how watchable the film is compared to other films of the day as well as how watchable it is today. It ain't great, but frankly full-length films of 1920 were sometimes a bit antiquated—and this one is a bit more exciting than average. Not wonderful but decent and watchable if you are a silent film nut like myself.
Captain Starlight was a gentleman robber—sort of like Robin Hood—except that the government was NOT corrupt and Starlight was clearly a criminal. Well, this isn't exactly clear, as the film seems to shift in its portrayal of this bad-man. Sometimes, he's described in positive terms but at the end there is a preachy epilogue about 'crime not paying' and all that rot. Regardless, a couple Brothers and their father (the Marsdens) inexplicably join him in one of his robberies—and the film is about how it ultimately destroys their lives and the lives of their women. It's actually amazing that they crammed so much plot into 56 minutes, as it has more plot than many 90 minute films! Shootouts, horse chases and the like fill this movie—and make it exciting compared to the average film of the era. My score of 6 is based on how watchable the film is compared to other films of the day as well as how watchable it is today. It ain't great, but frankly full-length films of 1920 were sometimes a bit antiquated—and this one is a bit more exciting than average. Not wonderful but decent and watchable if you are a silent film nut like myself.