"The Air Mail", or what's left of it, was restored by the Library of Congress, and approximately half of the film has been lost. What survives is the footage of Billie Dove's screen time in the picture, and as such has some historic value to cinema buffs. It also stars Warner Baxter and a very young Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. See above review for a plot synopsis.
If you are an ardent movie archaeologist "The Air Mail" will hold some interest for you, but for my part I found it unrewarding and tedious. The missing reels make it a chore to watch as it lacks a coherent narrative, and what remains is mostly uninteresting and breaks no new ground. I often think that 'old' does not necessarily infer quality, and "The Air Mail" is a case in point.
If you are an ardent movie archaeologist "The Air Mail" will hold some interest for you, but for my part I found it unrewarding and tedious. The missing reels make it a chore to watch as it lacks a coherent narrative, and what remains is mostly uninteresting and breaks no new ground. I often think that 'old' does not necessarily infer quality, and "The Air Mail" is a case in point.