"An Eastern Westerner" is a 24-minute black-and-white short film from 1920, so it will soon have its 100th anniversary. The names Hal Roach, Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis and Noah Young will tell you immediately that this is a black-and-white silent film if the production year hasn't already. Of course, it is an American movie and except Young (who wasn't much older) all the protagonists I mentioned earlier were still under the age of 30, but very successful already in their respective fields, despite the age. Western films were apparently very popular already at this point (shortly after World War I) and this movie here has several western scenes and components in terms of costumes and sets for example. But the story is not really that good. I do believe that silent film superstar Lloyd had decent comedic talent, but nothing really made a difference in his purely comedic films. He was at his best when he could bring in some emotion and manage to evoke strong feelings of joy or sadness in his audience. This component is missing here entirely I must say. That's why I give it a thumbs down, even if it is among Lloyd's most known short films. Not recommended.
Review of An Eastern Westerner
