The Half-Breed (1916)
*** (out of 4)
A young Indian woman brings her newborn son to the home of a white man where she drops it off and shortly later kills herself. The baby, part white and part Indian, grows up to live a normal life but when his caretaker dies, the townspeople run him out. Soon he sees various racial injustice and pretty soon finds himself in the woods with another outcast.
THE HALF-BREED isn't the greatest film ever made but it's certainly an entertaining one that fans of silent cinema should enjoy. Douglas Fairbanks plays the title character and does a very good job with the role. Obviously the actor is very energetic but he manages to handle the small, quiet scenes just as well as any of the stuff that has him running around. The actor was very believable as the somewhat naive man who doesn't realize that people will hate him just because of his skin color.
The film's story isn't all that original and deals with the half-breed going up against a sheriff who just happens to be his real father, although neither one realizes it. The film features some terrific visuals and especially the scenes in the forest. There's a terrific climax where a fire breaks out and the movie ends on a very poetic note. The main reason to watch this film is certainly for Fairbanks and you have to wonder what his female fans in 1916 thought about his nearly nude entrance at the start of the picture.
