The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding House

Fulta Fisher's Boarding House (1922)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This film is based on the Rudyard Kipling poem and tells the story of a port where seamen stop to drink, fight and pass out. Anne of Austria (Mildred Owens) is the popular woman that everyone loves to flirt with but she's with Hans (Olaf Skavlan) who soon finds himself in a fight over her.

FULTA FISHER'S BOARDING HOUSE is best remembered today because it was the first film directed by the one and only Frank Capra. Watching this film today there's certainly nothing here that tells you the man behind the camera would become a legend but at the same time he does a nice job with the material. The "material" is rather lacking as there's really not too much that happens. There's the introductions that are done very well. We then see a fight and then the conclusion. I did like the setting of the film and thought Capra did a good job with what he had to work with. Mildred Owens is okay in the lead role but she's certainly nothing special.