Despite some rather amateur mistakes in the writing of the film, The Tiger's Coat ranks as one of the more forward-thinking movies of 1920. The racism of the times is on full-display in this movie, which is why the movie's message may ultimately surprise the viewer. Essentially, the movie conveys the idea that love is more important than racism. It should be noted that this film came out 47 years before the Supreme Court ruled interracial marriage legal in Loving v. Virginia. Aside from the film's message, it also features one of the earlier examples of a plot twist in the movie. This twist will not surprise the viewer, as IMDB gives it away in its plot description of the movie. Nonetheless, the film should still be credited for the semi-twist.
However, the film makes some rather basic errors. For one, the relationships between characters are not well developed. For instance, the viewer does not see the love build between the two main characters, it just simply occurs. Additionally, the pacing of the film for the first 30 minutes is too slow, which is often typical of silent movies. While I enjoy watching silent movies, it is often best to watch many of them at a 1.5x speed to better resemble the pacing of a modern movie. Finally, the film does not build up well to many events. This movie could have created one of the most emotionally powerful climaxes in all of silent film. Unfortunately, these events seem rushed and just randomly occur.
Overall, a decent film with a strong message that is tripped up by some poor filmmaking mistakes common of early Hollywood.
Pros and Cons Summary
+Though clouded by 1920 prejudice, the movie ultimately possesses the strong message that love should trump white supremacy
+Intriguing idea for a film, and probably one of the earlier examples of a movie featuring something resembling a plot twist
+The film's denouement
-Like many silent movies, the pacing is very sluggish compared to modern movies.
-The characters and the relationships between characters aren't well developed.
-Some events, including the climax, feel rushed as the film does not build up to them.
