Sole Support is a weirdly charming mess from 1923

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for silent shorts that feel like they were filmed on a whim. It is perfect for people who like Jack McHugh or just want to see what a kitchen looked like a hundred years ago. If you hate grainy footage or plots that don't really go anywhere, you will probably be bored out of your mind.

I found a copy of this and it’s rough around the edges, literally. The film has these weird scratches that sometimes look like rain, even when they are inside.

Jack McHugh has this face that says 'I am ten years old but I have a mortgage.' He plays the kid who has to be the man of the house. It’s called Sole Support because he’s the one working to keep everyone fed.

There is a scene with a bucket that goes on way too long. He’s just carrying it back and forth. I think the director forgot to yell cut.

The dog in the movie is honestly the best actor in the whole thing. He has this way of looking at the camera like he knows the script is a bit thin. At one point, the dog almost knocks over a lamp and you can see the actors get actually nervous.

Malcolm Sebastian pops up for a bit and he's doing his usual thing. He has this very stiff way of walking that makes me think his suit was too tight. It reminds me a bit of the physical stuff in The Strong Man but way less polished. This isn't a high-budget masterpiece.

There is a moment where a character trips over a rug and it looks like it actually hurt. The camera wobbles for a second because the cameraman probably flinched. I love those little mistakes because they make the movie feel human.

The lighting in the indoor scenes is pretty bad, to be honest. One side of the room is just pitch black for no reason. Maybe they ran out of lights or the sun went behind a cloud.

I like the way the titles look. They have those little hand-drawn borders that feel really cozy. They used a lot of exclamation points back then, didn't they?

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Sole Support (1929) through its definitive frames.

The plot about him being the 'sole support' of the family is actually kind of heavy. But the movie plays it for laughs, which is a bit strange to watch today. Kids working jobs and dogs causing problems was the standard 1920s comedy formula.

The bread Jack buys in one scene looks like a literal rock. I was worried he was going to break a tooth when he bit into it. Nobody seems to notice how hard the food looks.

I noticed a guy in the far background of a street scene just standing there. He wasn't an actor, just some random person from 1923 watching them film. He looks so confused by the whole production.

It’s almost like a documentary of a kid having a really bad day. There is a weird energy to it that you don't get in modern movies. Everything feels a bit more dangerous and unpredictable.

If you’ve seen The Doll, you’ll notice this uses similar basic sets. But Sole Support feels much more like it was shot on a real street. You can see the dust in the air.

The ending is very sudden. I actually checked my player to see if the file was cut off or if I lost my internet. Nope, that’s just the the way it ends. One minute he's working, the next it just says 'The End.'

It’s a bit of a letdown if you want a big finale. But it’s a nice little slice of history. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a good way to spend twenty minutes.

I really hope the dog got a treat after the filming was done. He definitely earned it for not breaking that lamp during the kitchen chaos.

Jack McHugh really carries the whole thing on his small shoulders. He has a lot of heart for a kid in a cheap silent short. Even if the the script is basically non-existent.

Anyway, it is worth a watch if you are bored. It is better than staring at a wall for half an hour.