A MODERN MUSKETEER (1917) – This 68-minute film was released on December 30th, 1917, when Douglas Fairbanks was known for his comedies rather than for his later success as cinema’s first swashbuckling superstar.
A Modern Musketeer gave the world the first glimpse of what Fairbanks could do if let loose in sword-swinging tales of derring-do. The opening 5 minutes and 36 seconds of the movie consist of a flashback depiction of D’Artagnan in the 1620s taking on an entire tavern full of rival swordsmen competing to return a fair maiden’s dropped handkerchief.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that that opening segment provides almost as many thrills and spectacular stunts as the entirety of Doug’s 1921 serious turn as D’Artagnan in his silent Three Musketeers film. However, it would not be until 1920’s Mark of Zorro that Fairbanks would get to start his long series of costume swashbucklers.
When the initial 5:36 is over, the movie resumes in 1917 Kansas, where Ned Thacker (Fairbanks), an energetic dynamo of a man, is obsessed with seeking out adventure and protecting women like his fictional idol D’Artagnan. He even runs an organization called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Women. Continue reading
THE MYSTERY OF THE LEAPING FISH (1916) – Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that I’m a geek for Silent Movies. Last week’s look at 
The short’s comedic approach to cocaine, opium and more demonstrates the “anything goes” attitude before film codes were implemented to ban certain content from the big screen. In the pre-internet years, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish was a film that people refused to believe existed until you had them sit down and watch it with you.
THE MARK OF ZORRO (1920) – Douglas Fairbanks digs into his comedic AND acrobatic skills in this first screen adaptation of Johnston McCully’s masked hero of 1820s California (The Curse of Capistrano had just been published the year before and Fairbanks bought the film rights for United Artists.) 
Excellent fight choreography, heroic opposition to tyranny and the rousing, marathon chase and fight scene near the film’s finale make The Mark of Zorro an absolute must-see for anyone curious about silent movies. Nearly every frame of the film is a portrait.
Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that I’m a silent movie geek, and have reviewed some of them in the past. Today, I decided to post this beautiful silent era movie poster for Douglas Fairbanks’ forerunner of modern-day special effects blockbusters – his 1924 version of The Thief of Bagdad.
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