The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916) presents Douglas Fairbanks in a character role as a dope-drilled detective. Despite this two-reeler's reputation as a cult classic, I found its humor laborious rather than witty, its direction ponderous and its players wasted. Fortunately, the main feature on this Grapevine disc is the superbly entertaining "When the Clouds Roll By" (1919) directed with pace and style by former ace cameraman, Victor Fleming (this seems to be his first credited film as a director - at least in studio publicity), and very charismatically acted by zesty Fairbanks, heroine Kathleen Clifford, shifty Frank Campeau and villainous Herbert Grimwood. The story is highly original. Despite its clever interweaving of comedy, drama and weird special effects, it has never been re-made (or even hinted at). In fact, this movie is a real treat and it's available with "The Mystery of the Leaping Fish" on an 8/10 Grapevine DVD!

"When the Clouds Roll by" is a rather offbeat picture from Douglas Fairbanks, and it's one of his best I think. It's from before "The Mark of Zorro" (1920), which redirected his career to more prestigious costume/historical swashbucklers. These earlier films were generally modern comedies where Fairbanks was discontented with a normal life and yearned for some adventure, or he made an adventure out of his relationship to the leading lady. This one seems to be more of the latter, as the leading lady inspires the usually exuberant and smiling Doug to come forth, but for most of the film, he's cripplingly worried and superstitious. Fairbanks gave a similarly morose performance in "Reaching for the Moon" (1917), where he also found himself the victim of an "adventure".The scenario this time is something of a spoof of psychology. Fairbanks is the victim of a mad doctor's experiment to cause him pain and death though the power of suggestion, although Fairbanks is unaware of this. There is an amusingly bizarre scene early on inside Doug's stomach, where the onion, lobster, welsh rabbit and mince pie he is persuaded to eat make him sick—we see performers costumed as the food do somersaults in his stomach and then chase him in a nightmare. The nightmare sequence is wonderful: featuring fast and slow motion photography; superimpositions; a grotesque monster distorted probably by special camera lens or mirrors; a trick-scene, special effects marvel where Doug walks up walls and on the ceiling of a room (done with a rotating set and camera with substitution-splices and multiple-exposures); and otherwise surreal imagery. The over-cranking of the camera to effect slow-motion for Doug running in his nightmare is doubly interesting because it's the opposite way his athleticism was usually shown; that is, the camera was usually under-cranked to make his stunts appear effortless. Later in this film, there is an example of this under-cranking when Doug climbs up a fire escape to avoid following a black cat's path through the door.Another strange scene is when Fairbanks's mind is verging on insanity, which appears as a "brain storm" attack of Worry, Jealousy and, consequently, Despair on the throne of Reason, with Sense of Humor by her side. As with the food attack on his body, actors (including Fairbanks) represent the battling thoughts in his mind.The climax features some more special effects—although, rather than the mostly optical effects in the nightmare, the dam break sequence features some well executed mechanical effects, including the use of a miniature town model. There's also some underwater photography of Doug swimming. Throughout, "When the Clouds Roll by" features impressive technical effects and wonderfully bizarre incidents—a scenario with surprises around every corner. This was an interesting and entertaining vehicle for Fairbanks—one of his best and most unique.

Monday June 2, 7:00pm The Paramount, Seattle"Never despair, folks, everything will be Jake .. .. when the clouds roll by."Youthful enthusiasm, show-stopping feats of athletic lunacy and hilarious, eye-catching gimmicks were Douglas Fairbanks' stock-in-trade. When the Clouds Roll by (1919) opens cleverly with film of the crew as their names appear on screen.A psychologist treating Daniel Boone Brown (Fairbanks) secretly plans to drive him insane in the name of science. After a prescribed bedtime supper of onions, lobster and mince pie, Daniel is chased through his stomach and across the countryside by his bizarre meal, in a brilliant surrealist nightmare.Perpetually late for work, Daniel gets the sack, then wanders around until he literally bumps into Lucette (Kathleen Clifford), a girl as nutty as himself, and the two are instantly smitten. "Are you superstitious?" "Terribly so …" Needles!" "Pins!" Her hayseed fiancé arrives just in time to spoil their plans. A frantic chase by boat and train concludes with a storm, a colossal flood and finally, true love.

Some spoilers herein.Yes, it's true, this is one of the weirdest movies ever put before acamera. Let's see, it starts with a maniacal doctor informing hisstudents that he is going to kill a man in the interest of science.Then we meet his intended victim, the dashing but horriblysuperstitious and paranoid Douglas Fairbanks, who eats fordinner onion, lobster and mince meat pie, only to have thesedishes dance about in his stomach, causing a stomach ache.Doug then goes to bed and has a strange dream where he ischased by the same food he just ate. During the dream, hefore-runs Fred Astair's antics in Royal Wedding by walking up awall and then across a ceiling, and quite convincingly.So, from there, the craziness only increases. Doug leaps overdining tables, hangs from cross-beams by his feet, climbs up theside of his apartment building because a black cat crosses hispath and ends up impersonating an insane asylum official.There's a huge deal made about an opal ring, a pretty blonde, aclimactic flood and did we mention that it's a musical? Well, it'snot actually a musical. But it does have everything else. And it'shard to find, too. Go look for it.