The Yankee Clipper

I enjoyed this movie, and I saw it in a theater complete with the Wurlitzer organ music, which was very well done. I just wanted to point out that they do indeed introduce the American President by name... I think it said "Taft", if I remember correctly. They introduce each character as they come into the storyline, along with the actor's name portraying the character as well. I'm not really a critical silent film viewer, I just really enjoy most of them. The stand-out for me was the child, who really does a great range of facial expressions, and to me they seemed very natural, not over the top. He looks like he had a blast making the film...

This film is a painting rather than a film. You can see the money that has gone into the costumes and set, but no investment whatsoever in directing the actors. It lacked warmth, colour and texture. What you see on the screen is purely cosmetic.

A young William Boyd stars as the captain of the title ship who is involved in a serious maritime challenge on behalf of the U.S. against arch rival Britain. It's a race to see which country's best sailing ship can get from Foochow, China to Boston the fastest. To do this they must sail across the Pacific and around the southern tip of South America. The prize is not only the Foochow tea trade but the winner gets the other's ship.

Boyd's journey quickly becomes encumbered by a young stowaway (Junior Coughlin) and the unexpected additions of a young woman and her craven fiancé. When one of Boyd's crew offers to help the woman and her fiancé escape, Boyd's troubles really start brewing up. From there it's fights, attempted mutiny, budding romance, and comedy relief... and, oh yes, a race to be won. The film has its moments and, thankfully, has none of the eye-rolling acting hysterics prevalent in so many silent movies. But it also doesn't have much personality. Boyd's star part lacks color, and the female lead's part isn't any better. Obviously the filmmakers keyed on the young boy to sell the movie to the real target audience.

The VHS copy I viewed comes with an intro from Junior Coughlin that looks like it was taped in the 80's.

I am so happy for this release as it finally allowed me to see Rupert Julian's THE YANKEE CLIPPER in something other than the truncated 1998 Critic's Choice VHS version which was taken from the Killiam Collection. That version ran less than an hour and had narration from Paul Killiam himself. It was probably taken from his old SILENTS PLEASE TV series (which would account for the narration) and gives you a feel for the film, but now Flicker Alley has given us an 81 minute version that not only plays well but gives us the opportunity to appreciate the glorious at sea cinematography as well as the more complete performances from the actors.

Long before he became associated with the role of Hopalong Cassidy, William Boyd was a capable leading man for Cecil B. De Mille during the late 1920s. In CLIPPER he is joined by his wife Elinor Fair, child actor Junior Coghlan, and veteran silent villain Walter Long. The real stars here are the clipper ships which were refitted for the movie and captured on film for all time. The movie is also one of only 3 films from director Rupert Julian to survive. Julian's main claim to fame is the 1925 Lon Chaney PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. He was also given solo credit for the 1923 MERRY-GO-ROUND where he took over from a fired Erich von Stroheim.

The title of this DVD, UNDER FULL SAIL, refers to the 3 documentaries included as well as THE YANKEE CLIPPER. They are SHIP AHOY, THE SQUARE RIGGER, and AROUND THE HORN IN A SQUARE RIGGER. Bonus features in addition to the docs are a 10 minute excerpt from the 1922 feature DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (which is fully available elsewhere) and an audio interview with 90 year old Frank (Junior) Coghlan who was 10 when he made CLIPPER. Special mention should also be made of the fine organ scores provided by Dennis James who has stepped in to fill the shoes of the late Gaylord Carter. Yet another top flight release from Flicker Alley. Thanks to all concerned who helped bring this project to fruition...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.