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4.0 out of 5 stars
A very different Douglas Fairbanks!, June 19, 2008
This review is from: Down to Earth (DVD)
Although best remembered today for his famous action-adventure costume dramas of the 1920s such as Zorro, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and The Iron Mask, audiences back then also knew a very different Douglas Fairbanks of earlier years, from his successful film debut in 1915 to his first swashbuckler hit, "The Mark of Zorro" in 1920. These earlier films, which were mostly light comedies of various sorts, have been sadly neglected in our day, so it is of special interest when one of them is released on DVD, such as this one. "Down to Earth", made in 1917, reveals a very different actor from the stereotyped roles of the 1920s with whom modern audiences might feel more comfortable due to his more natural manner. In fact, unlike his enthusiastic pantomime acting style in later films, in "Down to Earth" he seems to be his natural self, without any forced or controlled acting, and his exuberant personality drives the character and, in fact, the entire film. No doubt this is because he wrote the story for "Down to Earth" himself, expressing ideas close to his heart which he also penned in several books around the years 1917-1918, the best-known of which is entitled "Laugh and Live". True to this motto, Fairbanks laughs and grins his way through most of this charming comedy, while at the same time getting his philosophy on good and healthy living across to the audience.
As the wholesome all-American young man he usually portrayed, in "Down to Earth" Fairbanks pursues a healthy outdoor lifestyle after his childhood sweetheart declines his proposal because she prefers parties and the `high life', but quickly runs to her side when she lands in a sanatorium after a nervous breakdown due to too many social engagements. At this quirky place he finds other patients who represent all the ills of modern living, then as now: an over-eater, a heavy drinker, a hypochondriac and a worried businessman with stomach ulcers, to name a few. Realizing the obvious cause of all these preventable ailments, he devises a scheme to force them into a healthy outdoor lifestyle by taking them on a sailing trip and then staging a shipwreck on what they believe to be a deserted island. With just a few basic necessities, the patients soon get well when they have to find their own food and move about in the fresh air, but not without some initial opposition and strong protests. At this point the story becomes somewhat reminiscent of "Gilligan's Island". The ideas and dialogues are quite good and witty, getting the point across with comedy, action and fun, which was the basic trademark of most other early Fairbanks films. Although some scenes are a little too light due to the age of the film, the overall picture quality is very good indeed, and a well-played, authentic piano score suits the film nicely. Some bonus features add to the rating of this DVD, such as a 10-minute comedy starring Charley Chase, and excerpts from two other early Fairbanks films highlighting fast-paced action and stunts. A short essay giving extra detailed and background information on the films is also valuable and of interest to the serious fan, and for less serious ones Unknown Video always includes a different fridge magnet with good pictures or poster art of silent era stars and films: I have quite a nice, colourful collection already.
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