I had never heard of the Keystone Cops (sometimes spelled "Kops") or Mabel Normand, but then most of the films I've seen are usually below 1910, so I don't have as much experience with the modern cinema. However I've had a taste of D.W. Griffith's work, as well as having seen Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last!" and in my opinion this Keystone comedy was well done. It is considered the first Keystone Cops movie, but this rumor proves false: A year earlier, in 1912 there was actually a Keystone movie called "Hoffmeyer's Legacy" which I haven't seen.The film takes place on a farm. A little girl wants a calf, little realizing that she's about to get what she wants. However when she sees the men in the barn delivering the calf she thinks they're robbers and barricades the door. Confusion ensues. Overall this comedy was good and is mildly amusing to watch. I'd recommend it. An enjoyable 8 minutes.

"Bangville Police" is another black-and-white silent film from the earlier days of film as this one is also over 100 years old. it only runs for 8 minutes and if you hear the title, this is probably what an adult movie today could be named, but here "bang" really only refers to all the noise and chaos that exists in this movie. Director Henry Lehrman is probably as unknown to most today as are all the other cast members with one exception, even if they were really prolific and successful a century ago. The exception is Mabel Normand of course, who plays a young woman suspecting criminals at her farm. She locks herself in and calls the police. The other townsfolk also quickly rushes to her place and a lot of the comedy is about people mistaking others for criminals. Actually almost all of it. At eight minutes, it is okay of a story, even if not too convincing either. The only memorable aspect eventually is once again the stunningly beautiful Mabel Normand with her great aura where one cannot have doubts for a second why she was such a huge star in her early 20s already, even if this one here does not carry her name in the title. Everything else is negligible though and it's only worth seeing for the very biggest silent film fans. I give it a thumbs-down, even if the ending was admittedly kinda cute and this film did somehow have a suspense/thriller element next to the 90% comedy.

To appreciate why this comedy is so very funny, you need to stop and think about the story: a youngster, home alone. Gangsters come and break in. Desperately the child calls on the phone for help. Parents race to save the child. No, it's not HOME ALONE, it's several of D.W. Griffith's better known shorts. In THE LONELY VILLA, it is the phone that provides the call for help, and daddy races home in an auto. In THE GIRL AND HER TRUST, she is a telegrapher, and help comes on railroads.Yes, indeedy. THE BANGVILLE POLICE is a lampoon of a contemporary genre, just like the SCARY MOVIE franchise. And while the police force took on a life of its own, it had its origins in the works of Griffith, for whom Sennett had worked for years, and whom he called 'the Master'. Even if Griffith rarely put cows in his pictures.... at least, not as major supporting actors.

As a comedy, this isn't too bad, and the cast also provides some other good reasons to watch. There isn't much of a story, with what plot there is serving merely as a device for Mabel Normand to demonstrate her charm and for the Keystone Kops to demonstrate their own brand of humor. Mabel is as winsome as ever, and won't disappoint any of her fans. This early, rural rendition of the Kops is rather different from the more familiar form they would take later, but their style is recognizable, and the comedy is all right, some of it routine but with some good moments.