Mr. Blackheart (Frank Opperman) has been appointed guardian of a rich young lady. He plans to have his son (Chester Conklin) marry the woman and steal her fortune--though he is already married! Blackheart Jr. soon begins pouring it one strong and tries to make love to the unsuspecting lady. As for the lady, she just seems creeped out by the guy--and you really cannot blame her. When her actual boyfriend arrives, the Blackhearts drive him off and do everything they can to keep them apart. Can the two young lovers make a go of it or will the Blackhearts swindle the poor lass? This is such a prototypical 'Snidely Whiplash' sort of slapstick comedy--with mustachioed villains trying to hurt the sweet lady. However, it's also not all that funny. Worth seeing if you are a silent addict, otherwise Mack Sennett made better stuff.
5 Reviews
More Mustache Wax, Please
boblipton8 September 2012
Looking at a Keystone satire of a real, old-fashioned melodrama is a bit like reading a review of a lost book. The real melodramas long ago vanished from our ken, leaving some recordings of Tod Slaughter's performances, honed in fifty years of touring in the sticks, a musical version of Sweeney Todd and a few Mighty Mouse cartoons in which Oilcan Harry ties Pearl Pureheart to a lumber saw.
Nonetheless, when this movie was made, the melodrama was still a living thing, and its excesses were just the thing for Sennett's crew to rip apart when he wasn't doing the same for the works of his former boss, D.W. Griffith. Their most famous version was in BARNEY OLDFIELD'S RACE FOR A LIFE in which they lifted the tied-to-the-railroad-tracks threat from BLUE JEANS. This is a lesser one, since there is no big set-piece, just a rather straightforward -- for Keystone -- chase on horseback to rescue the captured heiress from the clutches of Blackheart Senior & Junior. It's not bad, but like many a show from a hundred years ago, people are all too likely to have no context for understanding or enjoyment.
Nonetheless, when this movie was made, the melodrama was still a living thing, and its excesses were just the thing for Sennett's crew to rip apart when he wasn't doing the same for the works of his former boss, D.W. Griffith. Their most famous version was in BARNEY OLDFIELD'S RACE FOR A LIFE in which they lifted the tied-to-the-railroad-tracks threat from BLUE JEANS. This is a lesser one, since there is no big set-piece, just a rather straightforward -- for Keystone -- chase on horseback to rescue the captured heiress from the clutches of Blackheart Senior & Junior. It's not bad, but like many a show from a hundred years ago, people are all too likely to have no context for understanding or enjoyment.
The Actor Turned Comedian
Single-Black-Male5 February 2004
This film doesn't appear to have been scripted, but it does show the 21 year old Harold Lloyd's physical dexterity. He is a bit of a stuntman in this film, demonstrating that he can make the transition from actor to stuntman to comedian.
Keystone Doing Griffith
Michael_Elliott8 September 2012
Curses! They Remarked (1914)
** (out of 4)
This Keystone film was clearly the studio trying to capture the mood and spirit of a D.W. Griffith "suspense" picture. A crooked father and son team (Chester Conklin, Frank Opperman) learn of a rich woman (Norma Nichols) coming to town so they plan to have the son marry her and get the money. When their plan backfires they end up kidnapping the woman so the hero must try and save her. CURSES! THEY REMARKED features an excellent title but the rest of the film is pretty unmemorable as the film drags on and on to where by the time the climax happens you really don't care if they reach the woman or not. I think film buffs might enjoy watching this for the cast but it's also interesting to view this because it makes you realize how special that great films from Griffith were. It shows that you could just copy something and make it work as pretty much every inch of this thing falls short from even the lower quality Griffith pictures. This is especially obvious during the finale where there's a big chase to try and rescue the woman but here there's not an ounce of suspense.
** (out of 4)
This Keystone film was clearly the studio trying to capture the mood and spirit of a D.W. Griffith "suspense" picture. A crooked father and son team (Chester Conklin, Frank Opperman) learn of a rich woman (Norma Nichols) coming to town so they plan to have the son marry her and get the money. When their plan backfires they end up kidnapping the woman so the hero must try and save her. CURSES! THEY REMARKED features an excellent title but the rest of the film is pretty unmemorable as the film drags on and on to where by the time the climax happens you really don't care if they reach the woman or not. I think film buffs might enjoy watching this for the cast but it's also interesting to view this because it makes you realize how special that great films from Griffith were. It shows that you could just copy something and make it work as pretty much every inch of this thing falls short from even the lower quality Griffith pictures. This is especially obvious during the finale where there's a big chase to try and rescue the woman but here there's not an ounce of suspense.
Amusing moments
deickemeyer13 April 2019
A burlesque on the false guardian's story, with amusing moments. Chester Conklin is the guardian's son and makes life miserable for the girl with his unwelcome attentions. The hero appears and there is an exciting chase. The close is very funny. - The Moving Picture World, November 14, 1914
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