To begin, "American Aristocracy" sounds like something from Alexis de Tocqueville, but, of course, is much more tongue-in-cheek than that. An opening title cards reads: "Has America an aristocracy? We say yes!" From here, we're introduced to a high-class resort full of people made rich from trivial inventions, such as a hump in a hatpin to keep the pin from falling out. There's even a rift among this aristocratic class between old and new money; one of the new money includes a brewer named "Budhauser"-a gag reference easily deciphered to this day. This satire sets up some typical escapist fare for a Douglas Fairbanks vehicle-early in his career when he made modern comedies and before the swashbucklers. Here, money is not a problem and Fairbanks is contagiously charming and effortlessly successful, with stunts and in getting the girl.
In this Fairbanks outing, as a "bug hunter", he displays his usual acrobatics. One particularly funny scene shows Doug about to attempt to leap up to scale a building to its second-floor window, but before he does, he notices a first-story window is open. There are also some interesting scenes of a flying boat, which was probably a curiosity in 1916. Yet, this film is a bit slow to begin with, at least for a film with this star, known for his rapidly paced comedies. And, it includes a clichéd climax where the baddie abducts the girl. Fairbanks's charisma and athleticism, in addition to Anita Loos's amusing title card writing seem to always make for pleasant enough entertainment, though.
In this Fairbanks outing, as a "bug hunter", he displays his usual acrobatics. One particularly funny scene shows Doug about to attempt to leap up to scale a building to its second-floor window, but before he does, he notices a first-story window is open. There are also some interesting scenes of a flying boat, which was probably a curiosity in 1916. Yet, this film is a bit slow to begin with, at least for a film with this star, known for his rapidly paced comedies. And, it includes a clichéd climax where the baddie abducts the girl. Fairbanks's charisma and athleticism, in addition to Anita Loos's amusing title card writing seem to always make for pleasant enough entertainment, though.