Monday, January 18, 2016

The Paleface (1922)

Given the subject matter of this short and the fact that it was the 1920s, it can be a little uncomfortable at times, which knocks off some points in my overall regard for it.  That said, it has some great humor, the narrative is put together well, and while it’s insensitive, it’s not nearly as racist as it might have been (yes, that last point is pretty faint praise, but it’s true.)

The members of a Native American tribe, having been cheated by some greedy white businessmen, are being forced off their land.  Three guesses as to who comes along when the chief orders his people to kill the next white guy to show up?  Yep, Buster the daydreamy lepidopterist wanders in and finds himself receiving a chilly welcome.  Ultimately, though, once the initial chasing and attempted executions blow over, Buster joins the tribe and helps them in their mission to retain their land, declaring that “us Indians must stick together.”

We’ll start with the race stuff – I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating.  The short has definite race problems.  While I understand that, as the star, of course Buster is going to be important, his involvement with the tribe feels White Savior-ish.  There’s also the fact that most (all?) of the Native Americans are played by white actors in redface, including perennial costars Big Joe Roberts as the chief and Virginia Fox as the girl (who’s barely even there – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves lays better groundwork for Prince Charming, and he’s in, like, two scenes.)  This would’ve been standard industry procedure at the time – as such, it’s uncomfortable, and it definitely bugs me, but it’s very much a product of the era.  As far as the depictions of the Native Americans themselves go, for me, the only really serious infraction is when Buster cheats death through some quick thinking and they think he’s a god.  Very not cool.

Other than that, it’s mildly insensitive throughout, but I don’t think it’s overtly racist.  After their early antagonism with one another, Buster and the Native Americans are clearly the “good guys” against the evil white land developers, and I enjoy the way Buster plays around with mixing the cultures.  Once he joins the tribe, I like the feather in his porkpie hat and what appear to be slap shoe moccasins.  Buster “conducting” a war dance is really funny, as is his pulling one tribe member aside to practice his footwork.  And as for Buster evading/outwitting the Native Americans when they’re chasing him in the early scenes, this is exactly the sort of stuff Buster pulls all the time.  He makes white cops, rivals, and thugs look foolish by besting them with silly tactics, so why not do the same with Native Americans?  Not to mention, mistaking him for a god aside, they’re fairly on the ball.  There are a couple of fun scenes where Buster thinks he’s gotten the upper hand, only to realize they’re totally onto him.

So what about the rest of the short?  Some great moments and very funny stuff.  The asbestos suit is a stroke of genius, I love the final gag, and there’s some impression action, including an epic tumble and an actual 85-foot freefall.  The little comic touches are really effective; I love the whole tribe lifting the chief onto his horse, Buster’s puzzled “is it raining?” gesture when an arrow appears as his feet (ha!), and Buster trying to punch a butterfly will always be hilarious.

Warnings

Slapstick violence and some racial/cultural insensitivity.

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