DbcultAccessing Vault...
Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
So, 'Darwin Was Right!' from way back in 1931. Is it worth tracking down today? Well, that depends *a lot* on what you’re looking for.
If you're into seeing how comedy tried to make sense of, like, big ideas almost a century ago, or if you just love the quirky rhythm of early talkies, then yeah, maybe give it a peek. But if you’re hoping for laughs that land in 2024, or anything even remotely fast-paced? You’ll probably want to give this one a wide berth. 😬
The premise itself is pretty wild for 1931, right? "Comical look at the similarities between humans and their ancestors, the apes." You can almost feel the filmmakers trying to be daring. They wanted to be smart, I think, while also making people chuckle.
The humor here, it's... quaint. You get a lot of physical gags. Someone slips on a banana peel, sure, but then the movie cuts to an ape doing something vaguely similar. It’s less “ha-ha” and more “oh, I see what they did there.” The timing is often a beat off for modern eyes.
There’s this one scene, a gentleman in a top hat chasing a runaway hat, and the way he scrambles on all fours for a moment? It’s supposed to mirror a monkey, I guess. It plays so long. You just sort of watch him, wondering if he’ll ever actually catch it. It goes on about 20 seconds too long, and the silence starts to feel awkward rather than emotional.
And the ape performances, if you can call them that. There are actual apes, I'm pretty sure. They just sit there, mostly, looking bewildered, while the humans around them act like total goofs. It's a bit sad, actually, seeing these animals just... existing while the comedy unfolds.
The movie feels like a series of sketches stitched together. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but there’s no real driving plot. It’s more like, “Here’s another example of how people are like apes! And here’s another!”
One reaction shot lingers so long it becomes funny. A lady gasps, and the camera just stays on her. Like, is she okay? Did she forget her line? Who knows. It’s part of the charm, maybe.
Since it's 1931, it's an early talkie. The sound quality, you know, it's not exactly crisp. A lot of the dialogue feels very stagey. You can almost feel the actors projecting to the back row of a theater, even though it’s on film now.
There’s a character, a professor type, who delivers these long, slightly muddled monologues about evolution. You can tell they’re trying to inject some actual *science* into the comedy, but it just sounds like a droning lecture. The audience in 1931 probably thought it was quite clever. Today? It’s a bit of a snooze. 😴
What really stuck with me wasn’t the jokes, but the sheer earnestness of it all. They really believed they were onto something clever. And in a way, they were. It’s a snapshot of a particular moment in film history, before comedy got all slick and polished.
The crowd scenes have this oddly empty feeling, like half the extras wandered off for a tea break. Or maybe that was just the budget for extras.
It's a curious artifact. Not a laugh riot, not a masterpiece. But it’s got this weird, slightly off-kilter energy that you don't find much anymore.
It’s definitely not like a Marx Brothers film, which was also making people laugh around that time. Their chaos feels intentional. This feels... more accidental, somehow.
So yeah, 'Darwin Was Right!' is a strange little beast. It’s a time capsule. If you’re a film student, or just someone who gets a kick out of seeing how movies *used* to be, then sure, hunt it down. But don't go in expecting to roll in the aisles. It's more of a gentle smile, a nod to a bygone era, and maybe a quiet appreciation for how far comedy has come. 🐒
IMDb —
1916
Community
Log in to comment.
