Film Dictionary

February 11, 1970

Queen Of Sheba (1921) ***

Only a brief fragment of this famous film has been preserved.

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921) ***

Mary Pickfort plays both Lord Fauntleroy and his mother in this excellent adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel. Innovative special effects.

Ace Of Hearts (1921) **

Interesting psychological drama about a terrorist organization preparing an assassination.

Dream Street (1921) **

Heavy melodrama directed by D.W. Griffith. It's set in a poor neighborhood in London. Story of two brothers in love with the same girl. And a murder.

The Affairs Of Anatol (1921) **

Cecil B. DeMille's comedy about an unfaithful husband.

Sands Of Sacrifice (1921) **

Silent melodrama set in Northern Canada and New York City.

Seven Years Bad Luck (1921) ****

Max Linder's best film. Hilarious and exciting.

The Copper Beeches (1921) *

Boring silent Sherlock Holmes short with ridiculous acting.

Sappho (1921) *

Pola Negri stars as a cruel vamp who drives men insane with love in this dated German melodrama. The title is misleading as there is no suggestion of lesbianism whatsoever.

The Goat (1921) *****

Buster is mistaken for a dangerous criminal and runs away from cops. A superb chase comedy, loaded with hilarious gags.

Never Weaken (1921) ****

Harold wants to commit suicide but jumping off a building. The film has great scenes involving perilous acrobatics on a high rise building under construction. It's Harold Lloyd's best short film.

Buster has a difficult job, because he's hired to assassinate the same person he's just been hired to protect. One of Keaton's most ingenious films. Highlights include a giant newspaper and the final chase through trap-doors and secret passages.

The Idle Class (1921) ***

A poor tramp is mistaken for a rich gentleman.

The Haunted House (1921) ***

Suspected of robbing a bank, Buster hides in a haunted house. Very inventive.

Hard Luck (1921) ***

After trying to commit suicide, Buster goes fishing and hunting. He also fights with bandits.

The Boat (1921) ***

Buster sails on a boat with his family.

The Man With The Twisted Lip (1921) ***

Sherlock Holmes solves the mysterious disappearance of a husband involving a beggar with a twisted lip.

The Playhouse (1921) ***

Buster is a theatrical performer.

The Three Musketeers (1921) ***

Excellent (and surprisingly faithful) adaptation of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. Far superior to the 1974's Richard Lester's version.

Jiraiya The Hero (1921) ***

Directed by Shozo Makino.

Hot Dog (1921) ***

Atelier faiminette (1921) ***

Lucky Dog (1921) ***

Laurel and Hardy's first film together, made years before they became a comedy team. Stan plays a foppish dandy evicted by his landlady. Ollie plays a criminal. Very funny.

Leaves From Satan's Book (1921) ***

A Danish "Intolerance", directed by Carl T. Dreyer.

Be Reasonable (1921) **

Billy Bevan in a Mack Sennett farce.

I Do (1921) *

Harold and his wife have to take care of two bratty kids.

Among Those Present (1921) *

Harold pretends to be an English aristocrat.

Now Or Never (1921) **

Harold has to take care of a little girl on a train.

Cleaning Up!!? (1921) *

Disney's Laugh-O-Gram. No animation. Just a live-action hand drawing a picture.

Did You Ever Take a Ride Over Kansas City Street 'In a Fliver' (1921) *

Disney's Laugh-O-Gram. No animation. Just a live-action hand drawing a picture.

Kansas City Girls Are Rolling Their Own Now (1921) *

Disney's Laugh-O-Gram. No animation. Just a live-action hand drawing pictures.

The Sheik (1921) ***

A proud Englishwoman is kidnapped by an Arab prince (Rudolph Valentino). A rape fantasy in Oriental setting. Well-made and quite memorable, unlike its superficial sequel, "Son Of The Sheik" (1926).

Die Bergkatze (1921) ***

Beautiful art direction in this whimsical comedy about soldiers and mountain bandits.

Das Weib des Pharao (1921) *

Confusing, unsuccessful historical drama set in ancient Egypt. Probably Ernst Lubitsch's worst film ever.

Be My Wife (1921) **

There are some nice bits in this Max Linder comedy (including a hilarious mock fight and a "watering-your-girlfriend" gag). But overall, it's a rather familiar romp about rival suitors.

A Sailor-Made Man (1921) ***

Harold Lloyd joins the Navy and rescues his girlfriend from an Arab sheik.

The Nut (1921) ***

An excellent comedy starring Douglas Fairbanks.

The Kid (1921) ****

Melodramatic comedy with Charlie Chaplin adopting an abandoned child (Jackie Coogan).

Der mude Tod (1921) ***

A young woman asks Death to give her back her lover. An uneven film directed by Fritz Lang. The first half is quite weak, but the second half is both imaginative and funny.

Fishing (1921) ****

Kansas City's Spring Clean-Up (1921) ***

Walt Disney's first animated film. Only 40 seconds long. The subject is police corruption in Kansas City.

Invisible Ink (1921) ***

A clown refuses to go back to an inkwell.

Modeling (1921) ***

Koko (still only refered to as "The Clown") is a terrific skater and a terrific sculptor.

The Wireless Wire-Walkers (1921) ***

One of the earliest Krazy Kat cartoons, directed by Vernon Stallings, produced by J.R. Bray and written by George Herriman himself.

The Victor (1921) ***

The Pet (1921) ***

Based on the famous Winsor McCay's comic strip "Dreams Of The Rarebit Fiend", this cartoon tells a story of a little puppy that grows into a monstruously huge dog. It devours furniture, home appliences, even brick walls. Gentle attempts to destroy it (like rat poison) prove fruitless. Only the heavy artillery and warplanes manage to stop the monster. Slow moving, but quite memorable and possibly an inspiration for "King Kong" and the Japanese Godzilla movies.

Opus II (1921) ***

Kapten Grogg skall fiska (1921) ***

The Hypnotist (1921) ***

Opus I (1921) ***

A German avant-garde film that consists of abstract shapes randomly moving across the screen. Directed by Walter Ruttmann.

Their Master's Voice (1921) *

A late "Bobby Bumps" cartoon.

The Flying House (1921) *

Bad culinary habits can induce horrible nightmares. In this silent curio directed by animation pioneer Winsor McCay, a house is transformed into a giant flying machine. Basically an animated comic strip with some interesting effects, it's quite confusing and less memorable than McCay's previous efforts.

Bug Vaudeville (1921) *

The least impressive of Winsor McCay's 1921 "Dream Of The Rarebit Fiend" trilogy (which also includes "The Pet" and "The Flying House"). Here, various insects appear on stage performing some acrobacies. Very, very boring (how long can anyone watch an insect riding a bicycle in circles ?).