— Criterion Challenge —
#Film 21. (A film featured in the "Pioneers of African American Cinema" series (Pioneers of African American Cinema)
It’s hard to rate something like this when the history of it is more interesting than the film.
The film lacks sound at certain points and the acting is not good, the film surprisingly has a interesting premise though. A former WW1 fighter pilot returns home and regains his former job at the railroad station as a detective, he does missions for the station as receiving a satchel of money, locates lost employees, fights a gang.. I mean while it clearly didn’t have the largest backing it’s well made with what it has. Richard E. Norman did an excellent job.
The history behind these types of cinema is also very interesting as this was filmed in the south. It’s an all black cast and some of the props are very well made, there’s also a real WW1 fighter jet in it.
It’s an interesting watch and I think it was worth the awful sound design. I can’t really blame this film for that though. These types of film deserve recognition as they are made by a minority population that just 60 years earlier was enslaved and would experience hardships like very few others for decades to come. This is clearly historic in more ways than most 95 year old movies.
— Criterion Challenge —
#Film 21. (A film featured in the "Pioneers of African American Cinema" series (Pioneers of African American Cinema)
It’s hard to rate something like this when the history of it is more interesting than the film.
The film lacks sound at certain points and the acting is not good, the film surprisingly has a interesting premise though. A former WW1 fighter pilot returns home and regains his former job at the railroad station as a detective, he does missions for the station as receiving a satchel of money, locates lost employees, fights a gang.. I mean while it clearly didn’t have the largest backing it’s well made with what it has. Richard E. Norman did an excellent job.
The history behind these types of cinema is also very interesting as this was filmed in the south. It’s an all black cast and some of the props are very well made, there’s also a real WW1 fighter jet in it.
It’s an interesting watch and I think it was worth the awful sound design. I can’t really blame this film for that though. These types of film deserve recognition as they are made by a minority population that just 60 years earlier was enslaved and would experience hardships like very few others for decades to come. This is clearly historic in more ways than most 95 year old movies.
