While this is a silent film, the music (which sets the mood) and actions make this an effective drama. In the days of front-page propaganda in "mainstream" media and "alternative facts" in publications like Breitbart, this Frank Capra film is one of his better ones. It shows the part of the press and how it can be manipulated by bad actors, with one man manipulating one young aspiring newspaper reporter named Clem Rogers, played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., to say that Jane Atwill (played by Jobyna Ralston), the daughter of the mayor, John Atwill (played by Edward Davis), killed a local district attorney. But then the plot thickens as those opposing the mayor, the campaign of Robert Blake (played by Philo McCullough), plotted together to kill the District Attorney (played by Charles Clary). This drama, mixed with romance is a perfect movie not only of the silent era but about the press.
You could say it unnecessarily glorifies the press, but truth be told, it actually says unorthodox reporting, like literally kidnapping the murder suspect is ok, as is going on an unlicensed investigation of a murder case. As such while those associated with the camp of individuals who oppose the mayor are sleezy criminals who almost seem like a form of Mafia (one is literally a bootlegger), the truth is that the reporter himself literally commits a crime by breaking and entering into a house where Marie Watson is being held and then engages in kidnapping which is also somehow ok, which makes little sense. Those who detest Rogers, like his editor Robert Edeson, as do his work colleagues Bill Johnson (played by Dell Henderson) and the sports writer (Spottsiwoode Aitken).
All in all, this movie is a classic worth watching even if you aren't used to watching silent movies.
You could say it unnecessarily glorifies the press, but truth be told, it actually says unorthodox reporting, like literally kidnapping the murder suspect is ok, as is going on an unlicensed investigation of a murder case. As such while those associated with the camp of individuals who oppose the mayor are sleezy criminals who almost seem like a form of Mafia (one is literally a bootlegger), the truth is that the reporter himself literally commits a crime by breaking and entering into a house where Marie Watson is being held and then engages in kidnapping which is also somehow ok, which makes little sense. Those who detest Rogers, like his editor Robert Edeson, as do his work colleagues Bill Johnson (played by Dell Henderson) and the sports writer (Spottsiwoode Aitken).
All in all, this movie is a classic worth watching even if you aren't used to watching silent movies.