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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Courtin' Wildcats remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
This old flick, Courtin' Wildcats, it’s probably not for everyone today. If you dig way back into silent era Westerns with a real goofy streak, you might find some charm. Anyone expecting a deep plot or, you know, modern sensibilities? Hard pass.
It’s got a very specific, old-timey feel. That’s either your jam or it really isn’t. 🤷♀️
So, we meet Clarence Butts, a college fella sent out west. By a Doctor, mind you. To join McKenzie's circus.
He’s supposed to be doing… something out there. But really, he’s just this fish out of water.
Then there’s Calamity Jane. Not the historical one, but this movie's version. She's running the show, bossing folks around, a real wild one.
Clarence, this mild-mannered dude, decides, "Hey, I'm gonna tame her." That’s the whole ballgame right there.
You see Clarence arrive, all proper in his suit. Looking utterly lost among the circus tents and dusty folks. It’s a good visual gag.
The contrast is stark. He tries to talk to Jane, and she just brushes him off, probably with a horse whip or something equally unsubtle.
The movie spends a lot of time showing Jane doing her thing. Roping cattle, riding fast, maybe even shooting a tin can or two off someone's head just for kicks.
She's got this big, theatrical swagger. Sometimes it feels a little too much, like the director kept telling her, "Bigger! Wilder!"
There's this one moment, I swear. Clarence tries to offer her a flower. A tiny, delicate flower.
And she just looks at it. Then at him, like he's grown another head. The crowd around them, maybe some of McKenzie’s circus hands, they just stare.
No one laughs. No one reacts much. Just a long, awkward silence. It goes on forever.
The whole "taming" thing is, well, problematic through a modern lens. Clarence basically just keeps trying to make her act more "lady-like."
It's less about genuine connection. More about changing who she is. It’s a product of its time, for sure.
You really feel the movie pushing this idea of a woman needing a man to civilize her.
McKenzie’s circus, by the way, it’s mostly just background. You see a few tents, maybe a clown or two wandering around in the distance. No big acts, no spectacle.
It’s a bit of a missed opportunity, I thought. Like, if you're gonna have a circus, really have a circus, right?
Fred Gilman, as Clarence, he does this great job of looking perpetually bewildered. His eyes are always wide, like he can't quite believe what's happening.
And Eugenia Gilbert, playing Calamity Jane, she commits. She really throws herself into the wild woman persona. But sometimes, her acting feels a bit too broad, even for a silent film.
Like, her anger face is the same as her surprise face. Just with more teeth.
IMDb 5.4
1924
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