5.6/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 5.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Port Whines remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
You should probably watch this if you have six minutes to kill and a high tolerance for 1920s nonsense.
It is basically a fever dream about breakfast. 🍳
If you are looking for a plot that actually makes sense, maybe go watch The Dawn of a Tomorrow instead.
This one is just Krazy Kat being a cook on a boat, and honestly, he is not very good at his job.
The Captain is a total jerk who just wants his fish, but the fish has other plans.
It is kind of gross how the fish just keeps coming back to life after being tossed in the pan.
Like, just stay dead and get eaten already? 🐟
The animation has that weird, wobbly quality where everything looks like it is breathing, even the stove.
I love how simple the gags are, even if they repeat way too much.
Krazy tries to fry the fish, the fish jumps out. Repeat until you start to feel a little bit insane.
It is actually hilarious in a 'why am I watching this' kind of way.
Billy Murray’s voice acting is... loud. Very loud.
He doesn't really talk so much as he squawks into the microphone.
It fits the vibe of a ship where everyone is probably grumpy and smells like old salt and wet wood.
There is a moment where the Captain gets hit in the face that actually made me snort my coffee.
It is the timing that gets you. It is so clunky it becomes perfect.
The silence in these early sound films is so heavy, like you can hear the literal dust on the film strip.
It makes the whole thing feel like you are peering into a haunted toy box from your great-grandpa's attic.
If you've seen Camping Out, you know the style they were going for here.
It is not as 'artsy' or poetic as the original comic strips by George Herriman.
Actually, it feels more like a generic cartoon they just slapped the Krazy Kat name on to sell tickets.
But honestly? I don't care about the purity of the brand right now.
It is short, it is weird, and the fish is a little hero in its own annoying way.
The way the fish wiggles its tail at the end is pure spite. I respect that fish a lot.
Don't expect 4K visuals or some kind of deep emotional journey.
Expect a cat, a very stubborn fish, and an angry man with a giant hat.
Sometimes that is enough for a Tuesday afternoon when you're bored at work.
The music is also just... there. It loops and loops until it gets stuck in your brain like a parasite.
I think I counted the same three notes about fifty times.
The background art looks like it was drawn on a napkin during a lunch break, but it works.
It gives it a gritty feel that modern cartoons just can't replicate with their clean lines.
Anyway, it's better than The Little Intruder if you're in the mood for something fast.
Just don't go into it expecting logic. Logic didn't exist in 1929 animation labs.
One reaction shot of Krazy blinking lingers about four seconds too long and it is unsettling.
But hey, that's part of the charm of these old relics. They're slightly broken.
Give it a watch if you want to see a fish win a fight against a cat.

IMDb —
1922
Community
Log in to comment.