'The Modern Musketeer', now complete and restored thanks to the efforts of the Danish Film Archive, is a fun modern adventure film starring the ever smiling Douglas Fairbanks (Snr). The first scenes show our hero as D'Artagnan of the Three Musketeers, swashing a buckle to rescue a young lady's handkerchief, before fast forwarding to modern times where Ned Thacker, his mother obsessed with the Dumas novel, has been brought up to be chivalrous (and rather irritating) where young ladies are concerned.
When Ned decides to leave for the big wide world in his new car - not until after he's climbed the church spire (as you do) - he meets Elsie Dodge, who's being railroaded into marriage with an unpleasant and cheating millionaire. Falling for Elsie he first lets her share his lunch hamper, then saves her from a fate worse than death at the hands of the local Injun (man with teeth necklace who thinks that makes him king).
Great action sequences involving ropes, jumps, and various acrobatics prefigure Fairbanks' later cinematic adventures. Marjorie Daw plays Elsie as the blushing young ingénue, while Tully Marshall pops up as a wronged man out for revenge. Although this film loses its way somewhat - starting as a likable comedy and then becoming a wild west adventure - it wears its years well and is worth a look.
When Ned decides to leave for the big wide world in his new car - not until after he's climbed the church spire (as you do) - he meets Elsie Dodge, who's being railroaded into marriage with an unpleasant and cheating millionaire. Falling for Elsie he first lets her share his lunch hamper, then saves her from a fate worse than death at the hands of the local Injun (man with teeth necklace who thinks that makes him king).
Great action sequences involving ropes, jumps, and various acrobatics prefigure Fairbanks' later cinematic adventures. Marjorie Daw plays Elsie as the blushing young ingénue, while Tully Marshall pops up as a wronged man out for revenge. Although this film loses its way somewhat - starting as a likable comedy and then becoming a wild west adventure - it wears its years well and is worth a look.