Film #042 - Mud And Sand (1922)
Viewed February 11, 2006
Taking a break from the Arbuckle/Keaton series of films, this week I watched a pre-Oliver Hardy outing from Stan Laurel, Mud and Sand. It is a parody of the classic Rudolph Valentino film Blood and Sand (1922) and follows the plot of that previous film; a tale of the rise and fall of a bull fighter.
It was interesting to see Laurel on his own. He certainly seems to know the craft, but he lacks something that more successful silent films stars (Keaton, Lloyd, etc.) seemed to have. His presence is a bit too weak to hold the screen.
That’s not to say that Mud and Sand doesn’t have some fine material in it. Given the fact that it was released the same year as the film it parodies, it is amazing how well rounded it is. Few of the jokes fall completely flat and many (especially some of the wordplay) are outstanding.
The sets and effects are impressive, but the whole thing seems underpopulated. This is, no doubt, the result of the film’s low budget nature, but other films have more successfully conveyed the sense of a fully populated world, even under such restrictions.
Apart from Laurel, the cast is almost entirely forgettable. The closest to a memorable turn is Julie Leonard as Caramel, primary love interest to Laurel’s Rhubarb Vaseline. She has some spark of life in her, while the femme fatale Filet de Sole, played by Leona Anderson, fails to convey even a comedic sense of lustful seduction.
Mud and Sand is probably better appreciated if the viewer is familiar with Blood and Sand, as so much of the later film is dependant on the original. Without that knowledge, much of the humor will fall flat. Stan Laurel is able to keep things moving, but Mud and Sand is a perfect example of why he was so much better off after teaming with Oliver Hardy.