In Old Arizona was probably one of the two pictures of the 1928/29 "season" -- the other being The Broadway Melody -- that finally brought home to a resistant industry that sound was here to stay, rather than just a passing fad. As the first outdoor all-talkie, it tends to be remembered merely as a technical milestone, while patronized for its now primitive seeming sound film technique, stilted acting style, and slow pacing. In fact it is a surprisingly enjoyable movie.
A rather tongue-in-cheek Western, the emphasis is on character, color, and humor, rather than action. Not for fans of the shoot-'em-down-by-the-dozen Spaghettios, but well-tailored for those who like quieter, more subtle Western stories, even for those who normally don't like Westerns. Full of crackling dialog, authentic to the 1890's time setting, colorful, well-developed characters, and easy, ribald humor. In fact much of the humor was down-right raunchy. If you have ever wondered what they were saying in those 1920's silent flickers when it just showed them moving their lips and grinning naughty-like, this picture will clue you in! In Old Arizona rises above the limitations and the novelty aspect of the early sound equipment to present genuine entertainment -- the main point of a movie. Much of the credit for this goes to the three principle players. Warner Baxter is charming and exciting in his Academy Award-winning performance as the Cisco Kid. Edmund Lowe is a good foil for the roguish bandit as a cocky Bowery-bred Army sergeant out to collect the reward for Cisco's hide -- and his girl as well. Dorothy Burgess absolutely sizzles as Cisco's flirtatious, mercenary, and unfaithful mistress. The three stars get a big boost of support from Soledad Jimenez, as Burgess' sardonic old cook. Of course they all over-act -- at least by the standards of this present generation, who are so low key, one sometimes wonders if actually conscious. This picture is played mostly for laughs, a fun romp rather than a serious Western.
Much unfair criticism due to misunderstanding has been repeated in this forum. Ms. Burgess was not acting with a silent movie style. She never made a silent picture, but came to Hollywood from a successful career as a Broadway actress and dancer. Baxter was not an American playing Mexican. Cisco stated that he was actually Portuguese, rather than native Mexican. Acting style in this an other movies of the era was not quite so stilted as some think. It hasn't apparently occurred to some pundits that real-life people in times more than a century past may have actually acted and spoken with a completely different style than this generation.
Never mind. In Old Arizona was stiff all right. But the sets, costumes, and cinematography were first-rate, story engaging, dialog funny, snappy. Refreshingly absent were the inner titles between scene changes seen in many early talkies released as much as four years later. In Old Arizona is an entertaining picture all the way through, and a giant-step toward the wonderful mature sound movies of Hollywood's Golden Era.
A rather tongue-in-cheek Western, the emphasis is on character, color, and humor, rather than action. Not for fans of the shoot-'em-down-by-the-dozen Spaghettios, but well-tailored for those who like quieter, more subtle Western stories, even for those who normally don't like Westerns. Full of crackling dialog, authentic to the 1890's time setting, colorful, well-developed characters, and easy, ribald humor. In fact much of the humor was down-right raunchy. If you have ever wondered what they were saying in those 1920's silent flickers when it just showed them moving their lips and grinning naughty-like, this picture will clue you in! In Old Arizona rises above the limitations and the novelty aspect of the early sound equipment to present genuine entertainment -- the main point of a movie. Much of the credit for this goes to the three principle players. Warner Baxter is charming and exciting in his Academy Award-winning performance as the Cisco Kid. Edmund Lowe is a good foil for the roguish bandit as a cocky Bowery-bred Army sergeant out to collect the reward for Cisco's hide -- and his girl as well. Dorothy Burgess absolutely sizzles as Cisco's flirtatious, mercenary, and unfaithful mistress. The three stars get a big boost of support from Soledad Jimenez, as Burgess' sardonic old cook. Of course they all over-act -- at least by the standards of this present generation, who are so low key, one sometimes wonders if actually conscious. This picture is played mostly for laughs, a fun romp rather than a serious Western.
Much unfair criticism due to misunderstanding has been repeated in this forum. Ms. Burgess was not acting with a silent movie style. She never made a silent picture, but came to Hollywood from a successful career as a Broadway actress and dancer. Baxter was not an American playing Mexican. Cisco stated that he was actually Portuguese, rather than native Mexican. Acting style in this an other movies of the era was not quite so stilted as some think. It hasn't apparently occurred to some pundits that real-life people in times more than a century past may have actually acted and spoken with a completely different style than this generation.
Never mind. In Old Arizona was stiff all right. But the sets, costumes, and cinematography were first-rate, story engaging, dialog funny, snappy. Refreshingly absent were the inner titles between scene changes seen in many early talkies released as much as four years later. In Old Arizona is an entertaining picture all the way through, and a giant-step toward the wonderful mature sound movies of Hollywood's Golden Era.