Hands Up! (1926)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Clarence G. Badger

Writers:

Monte Brice (writer)
Lloyd Corrigan (writer)

Release Date:

11 January 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Plot:

A southern spy during the Civil War, he must try to capture a shipment of gold. His task is complicated by the two sisters...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Gold Mine | 19th Century | American Civil War | Soldier

Awards:

1 win

Cast

George A. Billings	...	Abraham Lincoln
Virginia Lee Corbin	...	Alice Woodstock
Charles K. French	...	Brigham Young
Raymond Griffith	...	Jack, a Confederate Spy
Noble Johnson	...	Sitting Bull
Montagu Love	...	Captain Edward Logan
Marian Nixon	...	Mae, the Girl He Loves
Mack Swain	...	Silas Woodstock

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company:

Famous Players-Lasky Corporation

Trivia:

At one point during shooting, Raymond Griffith reportedly wanted to fire his co-star Mack Swain as he believed that Swain was "too funny." Film critic Walter Kerr has argued that this was not a result of jealousy but rather because Griffith considered Swain's acting style unsophisticated.

Sadly forgotten and sadly unavailable is this entertaining comedy starring a sadly forgotten gentleman

HANDS UP! is a highly enjoyable comedy starring the charming Raymond Griffith, a neglected comedian from the silent era; it should be noted, though, that it is not due to lack of brilliance that his name stands as rather forgotten today, but as with names such as Max Linder (whom Griffith strikingly resembles), much of his work has disappeared since their original releases. Happily, HANDS UP! is among the survivors.

The story takes place at the end of the Civil War; in June of 1864, president Lincoln receives the pleasant word of a mine of gold in Nevada which, he figures out, will supply all the gold required to rescue the Northern war effort. He gives his best man orders to bring the gold to him; meanwhile, a Southern soldier named Jack (Griffith) is charged with the very same task by one of his generals, resulting in a series of hilarious misevents; Jack is attacked by Indians; he fools Northern officers through a false identity; and he falls in love with two Northern sisters, who are attracted to him as well. True enough, there are few very highly original gags to be found here, and it may also be argued that much of the material consists of so-called "run-of-the-mill" humor, but the key performer and his fellow-actors take such advantage of even the simplest moments --body language, reactions to the most hopeless situations, etc.-- that the continuity of the comedy remains quite stable throughout. It must be noted that this is not a silent comedy in the traditional sense; rather, HANDS UP! is a film mainly suitable for people well familiar with silent comedy longing for some variation of the genre.

As noted by my fellow-reviewers, Griffith's acting is remarkably sophisticated, and while the movie offers lots of slapstick, this never interrupts the gentle atmosphere which his character creates. Also, although Griffith was not listed neither as writer nor director in the credits of this film, there is little doubt that his contributions in both fields were as significant as anyone's in the making of HANDS UP!; before reaching stardom the previous year in PATHS TO PARADISE, Grittith had worked on Mack Sennett's lot as a scenario-writer and gag-man (in addition to frequent appearances in front of the camera as well), and being known as a man stubborn in his decisions, Griffith did undoubtedly take advantage of his skills from the Sennett-days during his few years as a superstar.

As HANDS UP! was released a brief year before Buster Keaton's Civil War-comedy THE GENERAL, a comparison between the two has been impossible to avoid. Griffith's take on the subject received far more acclaim than Keaton's when originally released; however, a silent comedy-buff of today could hardly be blamed if he never heard of Raymond Griffith, while Buster Keaton is widely considered the only solid rival to Charlie Chaplin. Most historians and fans alike agree that THE GENERAL is the masterpiece of the two films, and although I certainly add my vote to this majority, it must be said that Kauffman and Henstell's comment that HANDS UP! is "deservedly forgotten" in their book American FILM CRITICISM is an exaggeration close to pure ignorance. Sure, the two comedies cover the same war, but they are nothing alike in terms of gags and structure and, most significantly, style. Griffith's character appears very charming, but he is also sly and self-concerned; such a description is as far away from Keaton's shy stone-face as one can get. Both styles are good; whose style you prefer is a matter of taste.

Sadly, the only print of HANDS UP! available for sale is the DVD from Grapevine, which is, frankly, in quite terrible condition. All of Griffith's surviving silent features are copyright-protected by Paramount and they have shown no interest in releasing any of his films so far. Thus, few are able to compare THE GENERAL with HANDS UP! Oh well, I don't really see why anyone should compare the two anyway. One might prefer the one to the other, but in any case both are excellent comedies; and you can't get wrong with Griffith's face expressions which at times are as fascinating as they are hilarious. This comedy is highly, highly recommended by me, although I am aware that by saying so, many silent comedy-buffs are likely to go nuts, as it is very unlikely that they will find a decent copy of this.