'49-'17

I've just watched this on the "Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers" release and I have to say I found it really enjoyable. Yes it predictable, but it's not the first and won't be the last. But it was enjoyable. I especially liked Donna Drew, she was delightful to watch and it is sad that she didn't live for much longer to make more films, I think she was excellent in this one.

Some of the reviews on here are very negative, but they are old, so perhaps some of their confusions or concerns may be solved with this newer restored version. I wouldn't call this a western, in its true sense of the genre, but it is mostly set out in the west and there are the goods guys and the bed ones too, but it was more a moralistic tale.

I think with this new release this film can be seen as it is meant to be and I for one really enjoyed it.

I love silent films and have perhaps reviewed more than anyone. However, sometimes a silent is just bad--even if the print is pretty good. The plot for "49-17" is pretty stupid and the film never rises to the level of anything approaching good. Now I DO understand that films of the day were not as wonderfully written and executed a films just a decade later, but even for 1917, this is a pretty crappy film.

An old judge laments how he lost his daughter and wife many years the before--back in the "Gold Rush" days. It seems she got bored and ran off with his baby daughter. Ironically, he discovered gold soon after that and became rich--but still regrets losing them. After a very, very contrived portion involving the recreation of an old west town, the man responsible for breaking up his happy home returns and they have it out in a series of dastardly encounters. Whatever.

The bottom line is that the plot never seems convincing in the least and never makes much sense. You might not get that from my quick summary--but the film never becomes interesting, convincing or even worth your time. To top it off, it's bundled on DVD with "The Ocean Waif"--a highly deteriorated that lacks an ending--it disintegrated and you are just provided a written description of several HUGELY important climactic scenes! Save your money!

If you are familiar with San Diego's Balboa Park, you will want to watch the first half, at least, as the Botanical Building and Lily Pond are the setting for one scene.

With a few twists and turns, the story unfolds easily, occasionally predictably. Good use of cinematic narration, the titles only representing dialog and transitions. Generous use of appropriate flashback scenes filling in the story. A few story threads left untied, but generally an amiable plot. Sometimes you wonder if the old Judge isn't half-mad.

The movie appears to have been written during production, with lose ends dominating the plot. An example comes when Gentleman Jim Raynor gently lowers Tom Robbins into a rocky area, whereupon Tom easily escapes and returns without incident. Very confusing motivation.

Certainly, this movie was intended for the preschool set, where the primary intention was to protect the child's emotions. Outside of this age group, this movie is not recommended.