Way Out West

If you understand the background plot of "Singing in the Rain" this is a great film to watch. Made in 1930 it is a fun movie to watch. The actors were mainly silent film stars giving it a go in the infancy of talking movies. Often the dialog is absolutely horrible, exactly what was explained in "Singing in the Rain". If a confusing abduction scene the heroine is speaking a repetitious monotone with no voice inflection speaking the same line over and over again. "Please do not hurt me, Please do not hurt me. Please do not hurt me...." The gunfights are straight out of the Max Sennett school of movie making. It is one of the earliest films shot in Monument Valley, the studio scenes were done in New Mexico. When I first saw the title I thought, "Geez I really do not care for Laurel and Hardy, but what the hell I do not have anything better to watch while waiting for a delivery." After a few minutes I caught on that this Way Out West was a much earlier talkie than the Laurel and Hardy film of the same name. It is a pre code movie so the "Gay" caricatures will surprising to say the least. If you are expecting a western the calibre of "The Searchers" but if you are interesting in understanding the evolution of movie making industry this is worth watching.