Sunday, February 07, 2010

The Mystery of the Leaping Fish - C. Cabanne & J.Emerson - Silent - USA - (1916)

 


Plot by Imdb: Coke Ennyday, the scientific detective, divides his own time in periods for "Sleep", "Eat", "Dope" and "Drink". In fact he's used to overcome every situation with drugs: consuming it to increase his energies or injecting it in his opponents to KO them. To help the police he discovers a contraband of opium (which he eagerly tastes) transported with "Leaping Fishes", and the blackmail of a mysterious man who wants to marry the "fish blower" girl. Will Coke be able to free the girl ? 

While Europe was busy killing half of its male population, Hollywood was high on cocaine, making crazy comedy about it. Great gem from the silent area, Douglas Fairbanks & Bessie Love + Todd Browning at the script...Nice to see that Hollywood was at that time already hooked on drugs...Not a great surprise to anyone, I guess. Great interpretation by Fairbanks, who is unstoppable as the junky detective and dance around like a madman, every chance he's got. Story really doesn't matter much, but some nice ideas and a real feeling of freedom in this movie. Really vintage wackiness....


  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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