Sadly Over-hyped

Just perfect...

A Disappointing Continuation

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

During summertime, German aristocrats are lazier than ever, certainly in comparison with the rest of the year, natürlich. Laziness is unfailingly a part of the almost human aristocratic nature so to spare any extra effort during these hot and terrible times is important.Having in mind this important seasonal reason, last night was screened at the Schloss theatre a short film, namely "Algie, The Miner", a perfect film for a small soirée due to its brief running time that can be enjoyed in "petit comité" by any German aristocrat. This allows time to be spent on other trifling things while appreciating this archaeological oeuvre that was recently restored by some hard-working longhaired youngsters beyond the Atlantic sea.This short film was directed by the frenchified woman film pioneer Dame Alice Guy-Blaché in the silent year of 1912, and though it is somewhat primitive, it has interesting aspects as, for example, different settings ( filmed with a static camera, so don't ask the impossible... ) but with a perfect film continuity. It is the story of a mild man who must show he has the right stuff if he wants to gain the favour of his father-in-law and consequently be worthy of the hand of his daughter, showing in this way to the whole silent world his newly gained masculinity. Dame Guy-Blaché accepts the terms of that ancient and conservative era but in an interesting way.Careful bourgeoisie settings, coarse taverns in the wild West, different landscapes and a combination of comedy, adventure and quaint human conduct and it all wraps up in tens minutes, an interesting one-reeler that is perfect to be enjoyed during the lazy summertime.And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must lay mines around the Schloss in order to keep out the terrible tourist hordes.Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Algie, the Miner (1912) ** (out of 4) This comedy short was shown on TCM a several weeks back to highlight gay folks in early Hollywood. The title character in this short (and various other films shown) isn't out and out gay but is shown (in the writer's words) as a "sissy". Algie wants to marry a woman but her father says no because the young man is too much of a sissy but the father tells Algie that he can marry the daughter if he turns himself into a man within one year. The writer of the book and the one who introduced the film makes a lot of examples of why this character is gay but the film itself really isn't anything special as there are no laughs anywhere to be had.

This is, like most films of the day, a very short movie. At only ten minutes, it tells the tale of a very wimpy and rather effeminate man's change to manhood. Billy Quirk wants to marry a girl--and considering how he dresses and acts, it's actually a little surprising he wants her. But before he is allowed to marry the girl, he is told to go out and prove his manhood, so he becomes, of all things, a cowboy. Well, despite the impossibility of this task, he quickly proves himself and when he an his new-found friend arrive back home, the family is actually scared of the super-virile Billy, since he's now a tough hombre.This is an odd film because it really looks as if the producers are trying to say that Billy is gay (based on the way he dresses and because he kisses the first cowboy he meets) but the plot involves him wanting to marry a real live girl! An odd but very watchable film that's good for a few laughs. Some of the other reviews scored the film lower, but for 1912, this was a very good film--as I have seen several hundred very early films and this is better than most.

This very brief film is about a man called Algie Allmore played by Billy Quirk who is a young man who appears as a sissy or pansy and his intended father-in-law wants him to prove he is a man in one year if he wants to marry his daughter. So, Algie heads West dressed up like a funny cowboy with a very tiny pistol and a weird looking western hat. Algie meets up with some very rough and tough cowboys who laugh their heads off just looking at poor Algie. However, Algie gets broken in with his surroundings by finding a gold mine, riding a horse and the ability of knowing what to do with a gun and and is able to stand by himself against all the cowboys. Funny film and enjoyable.