Customer Reviews

His Picture in the Papers

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I'm happy to see that Unknown Video has released another gem from their vaults and made a nice presentation out of this 1916 comedy; the third film featuring Douglas Fairbanks who was quickly becoming a major star at this time. "His Picture in the Papers" is a fine example of the qualities that catapulted Fairbanks to stardom, namely his enthusiastic, happy and dynamic style, combined with his trademark athletics (such as scaling a building with the ease, speed and agility of a monkey!) These qualities, together with an interesting action-packed and fast-paced story (by famous team, John Emerson and Anita Loos) make this feature film very enjoyable viewing. Fairbanks plays Pete Pringle, of the famous vegetarian Pringle Products family, but who would rather eat a hearty beefsteak any day. When he meets a girl with the same healthy appetite, her father tells him he would only consent if he makes something of himself, and thus begins his quest to get his picture in the papers: from faking a car accident to beating up two cops, all to no avail. Meanwhile, some gangsters called the Weazels try to extort the girl's father, and among the action and surprises, there are some genuinely funny moments, too. The picture quality is pretty good (though some scenes are a bit faded or a little too light) and there's a nice traditional organ score.

Together with "His Picture in the Papers" is an excellent Short (about 15 minutes) from 1914 featuring Wallace Reid, and directed by Donald Crisp. "At Dawn" shows Wallace Reid putting in a very convincing performance as a fortune hunter-come-murderer in this poignant and dramatic little story. Finally, a very nice bonus on this DVD is an interesting photo gallery of over 80 Fairbanks pictures, from private photos to promotional pictures and artwork for many of his films. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable DVD which I can recommend.