Romance of a Rogue is a weirdly charming silent flick

If you’re into those flickery silent movies where everyone acts with their whole ribcage, give this a look. It’s mostly for people who don't mind a plot that moves like a tired turtle. If you need explosions or people talking out loud, you’ll probably hate it within five minutes. 🎞️

Anita Stewart plays Charmian and she has this way of looking surprised that involves her entire face. It’s almost exhausting to watch her react to things.

H.B. Warner is the 'rogue' here, though he looks more like a concerned accountant than a criminal. He’s trying to be good, but the movie keeps throwing old habits at him.

There is a moment early on where a character just stares at a door for what feels like a full minute. I kept waiting for someone to walk through it, but they didn't.

It’s just staring. It reminded me a bit of the slow pacing in Isle of Forgotten Women, where time just kind of stops.

The sets look like they were built on a Tuesday and filmed on a Wednesday. You can almost see the paint still drying on the backdrops in some shots.

But there’s a charm to it. It feels like a real play that someone happened to record with a hand-cranked camera.

I noticed a cat in the background of one scene that definitely wasn't supposed to be there. It just walks across the frame and disappears into a shadow.

No one acknowledges the cat. It’s the best part of the movie, honestly.

The romance part is... fine? They spend a lot of time looking at each other through soft-focus lenses.

It makes my eyes hurt after a while. It’s not as wild as Borrowed Husbands, which had way more energy than this.

The writing is a bit clunky because the title cards explain things that we just saw happen. We don't need a card to tell us he is sad when we can see him weeping.

There's a scene with a letter that gets passed around like a hot potato. Everyone who touches it looks like they’ve seen a ghost.

The costumes are the real stars here. Anita Stewart wears this one hat that looks like a giant velvet mushroom.

I wonder how she kept her head upright. It’s distracting but also very 1920s.

The ending happens so fast you might miss it if you blink. One minute they’re in big trouble, the next it’s happily ever after.

It’s messy and the grammar in the title cards is a bit wonky. But I didn't hate my time with it.

If you’ve seen The Prince of Headwaiters, you’ll recognize the same kind of stuffy social drama. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a nice way to spend an hour if you like old things.