Watching a movie with a 60 minute runtime in 1918 must have felt like the equivalent of a 7 hour long movie today. Those people were most likely used to sitting in the theater to see Fatty Arbuckle goof around while ragtime piano played for 15 minutes then leaving before the seat even got warm. This type of stuff had to be a completely novel experience for most.
Anyway, I can't believe they let an actual Old West outlaw con his way into starring in a movie about himself in which he comes off as the coolest guy on earth. It looks impressive for its time, the story was engaging, and I'm a sucker for a good Western - but it's slow-paced and wordy by silent film standards. Probably great from a historical perspective if you're able to immerse yourself and get in the headspace of someone watching this in 1918.
Watching a movie with a 60 minute runtime in 1918 must have felt like the equivalent of a 7 hour long movie today. Those people were most likely used to sitting in the theater to see Fatty Arbuckle goof around while ragtime piano played for 15 minutes then leaving before the seat even got warm. This type of stuff had to be a completely novel experience for most.
Anyway, I can't believe they let an actual Old West outlaw con his way into starring in a movie about himself in which he comes off as the coolest guy on earth. It looks impressive for its time, the story was engaging, and I'm a sucker for a good Western - but it's slow-paced and wordy by silent film standards. Probably great from a historical perspective if you're able to immerse yourself and get in the headspace of someone watching this in 1918.
