Faro Nell

Just watched this Louise Fazenda talking comedy short on the "American Slapstick 2" DVD set. It seems to supposed to be a parody of those melodramatic westerns made during the period when they were silent but the problem was, nothing said or done was even remotely funny though I recognized the hammyness of the dialogue and some of the cliché way the actors position themselves. In summary, Faro Nell is one lame short.

This is very obviously an early talkie, though it's not especially apparent that it's supposed to be a comedy. That's because the short is dreadfully unfunny and a real chore to watch. My summary isn't really that far off--there's very little that could possibly ever entice me to see this turkey again. In fact of the 500-1000 early comedy shorts I have seen, this might just rank as the worse and least entertaining--it's that bad.

This cowboy comedy-melodrama appears to be possibly be trying to make fun of old time westerns. The dialog sounds so hokey and horribly contrived that you can't help but assume the intent is comedy. The problem is that there is no punchline--no payoff to listening to some of the worse dialog in film history. And, sadly, there isn't a single laugh or giggle during the entire 20 minutes (which seemed, in hindsight, like 2 hours). Plus, the story is just awful and, well, stupid. Some low-lights of the film were horrible rear-projection during the horse riding scene and lines that seemed like they were written by chimps (smart chimps, but chimps nonetheless).

Dull, pointless and unfunny. This is the trifecta of badness!

... and my rating is for people who enjoy early talkie precode stuff that also borders on the bizarre.

This film utterly satirizes film - in this case, Western films - that would have been made circa 1909 - only there's sound and it's 1929. It isn't played 'broadly' - that word doesn't begin to answer the description of the actors. No, Nell (Louise Fazenda) and her brood of manly men play this thing out of this world... AND - this is Pre-Code...If one looks (and you may have to look) you'll see and hear things that go by so fast you could miss them, but if you really were listening and watching - well, you just won't believe they actually did it on camera, especially Louise Fazenda. She's an absolute hoot. But the guy who steals even her scenes - that's Harry Woods, an actor who played enough bad guys in his time, especially Western bad guys. Well, here he has an haute couture mustache that he actually curls and winds before he makes his next statement.

If one watches this thinking that it's on the level, that person will come away flabbergasted and disgusted by the script and the acting. If, on the other hand, you take it with a grain of salt and understand what the intent was, you'll be amazed and very satisfied with this rare find. That's what I say, too. Simply off the wall and well worth the watch.

This little short has some amazingly pre-code funstuff, with cowboys dancing with each other (OH MY)! And Louise Fazenda at her craziest, (she stuffs her bra and looks like a reject Annie Oakley). A must see if you are lucky enough to come across it.

I recently viewed a very nice 16mm print of the film and was totally surprised and taken by its oddball qualities. It has a brand of humour that you either get or you don't. If you don't, you are likely looking at it on the surface too much. The melodramatic awfulness of the dialogue is clearly an intentional throwback to the 'horse operas' of 20 years earlier (which would have been displayed as inter-titles) Pre-code sexual innuendo abounds in this one but you need to be paying attention to catch most of it. Altogether, FARO NELL is a comedic gem that deserves rediscovery.