When the Clouds Roll by (1919)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Victor Fleming
Theodore Reed

Writers:

Thomas J. Geraghty (titles)
Lewis Weadon (writer)

Release Date:

28 December 1919 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Psychiatrist Dr. Ulrich Metz attempts to drive Daniel Brown to suicide.

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Superstition | Psychiatrist | Rival Business | Director Cameo

Cast

Douglas Fairbanks	...	Daniel Boone Brown
Kathleen Clifford	...	Lucette Bancroft
Frank Campeau	...	Mark Drake
Ralph Lewis	...	Curtis Brown
Daisy Jefferson	...	Bobby De Vere
Bull Montana	...	The Nightmare
Herbert Grimwood	...	Dr. Ulrich Metz
Albert MacQuarrie	...	Hobson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Victor Fleming	...	Himself
Thomas J. Geraghty	...	Himself (as T. J. G.)
William C. McGann	...	Himself
Harris Thorpe	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Cheer Up

Runtime:

USA:50 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Douglas Fairbanks Pictures

Trivia:

The first film directed by Victor Fleming.

One of the forgotten gems of the silent era

It's a mystery why this delightful silent feature isn't better known and more widely appreciated. I've seen a number of the comedies Douglas Fairbanks made prior to his switchover to swashbucklers and they're all great fun, but for my money WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY is the best of the lot: it's funny, fast-paced, action-packed and highly original. "Original" is an understatement, really; this movie is absolutely off the wall and constantly surprising, even for buffs. The plot is convoluted enough to keep you guessing, and just when you think you know what's going to happen next the film-makers throw you another curve-ball. Speaking of originality it's worth pointing out that a number of gags and bits of business found here were borrowed by others and used again later on, so while this movie proved to be a rich source of inspiration for Fairbanks' colleagues who saw it in 1919, the source material itself seems to have been largely forgotten.

Much of the comedy derives from the screenplay's satirical jabs at the still new field of psychology. Doug plays a good-natured young man who is harshly victimized by a sinister psychologist named Metz who lives nearby. Why the doctor has chosen to treat Doug worse than Pavlov's dog isn't explained until late in the story (and I won't reveal it here), but let it suffice to say that Doug is subjected to a distressing series of "Gaslight"-style mental manipulations intended to convince him that he's losing his mind. The evil Dr. Metz even contrives to invade the world of Doug's dreams by controlling his diet, and the ensuing nightmare is a surreal cinematic highlight, combining such techniques as slow motion, double-exposure, and the very same "wall-walking" stunt Fred Astaire would employ in ROYAL WEDDING in 1951, performed more elaborately in this early rendition. This dream sequence begins in Doug's body, where we witness a battle between the foodstuffs he's been eating at Metz' behest: an onion, a lobster, Welsh rarebit, a slice of mince pie, etc., each represented by actors dressed in the appropriate costume. They duke it out on a "stomach" stage set, an effect that is both bizarre and hilarious, and a throwback to the early cinematic style of Edwin S. Porter's DREAM OF A RAREBIT FIEND or the trick films of Georges Méliès. We're reminded of Méliès again later when our hero reaches a crisis and thinks he's finally lost his mind for real; the title card tells us that Doug's Reason is Tottering on Her Throne and his Sense of Humor has been defeated, while his mind is being assailed by Worry and Despair. This struggle is then enacted before our eyes by performers representing these traits, like some kind of Medieval morality pageant.

These quirky comic sequences are a real highlight, but meanwhile there's an earthbound plot involving Doug's relationship with a girl, his conflict with the girl's former suitor (a vulgar crook), and a scheme by the crook to defraud the girl's father. This story-line is more conventional, but greatly boosted by the surrounding craziness and further enhanced by a series of genuinely funny intertitles that maintain just the right level of breezy insouciance. There's also a cute series of running gags concerning superstitions that both Doug and the girl believe in, not only still-familiar beliefs involving black cats, ladders, and the number 13, but also more obscure notions involving dropped knives and opal rings. The plot culminates in an impressive storm sequence combining miniature sets with large-scale action, all of which may remind buffs of the finale of Buster Keaton's STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. of 1928. Buster didn't use miniatures, but it looks like he and his crew might've borrowed a gag or two from Doug!

I was fortunate enough to see this film at a recent public screening at the Museum of the City of New York. There was much laughter throughout, and afterward everyone was saying "Why haven't I heard of this movie before?" Clearly, this is a silent comedy that deserves to be better known, a movie that cries out for full restoration, more public screenings, broadcasts on the Turner channel and a DVD release.