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5.2/10
Archivist John
Senior Editor
A definitive 5.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Baby Cyclone remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
You should watch this if you’ve ever felt like your pet is actually the one in charge of your house. It’s a 1928 silent film, so don't go in expecting a lot of talking, obviously. But the physicality of the actors is just wild.
If you hate slapstick or think dogs are sacred creatures that can do no wrong, you’ll probably find this annoying. It's basically a movie about how a tiny dog can ruin a man's life.
The whole plot kicks off because this woman loves her Pekingese dog way more than her husband. The dog is named Cyclone, which is funny because he just looks like a vaguely angry toasted marshmallow.
Lew Cody plays the husband and his face is just incredible. He has this way of looking at the dog like he’s staring at a demon from another dimension. I think I laughed the hardest when he finally loses his cool and just yeets the dog (okay, he sells it, but still).
It’s not as polished as something like Neat But Not Gaudy. It feels a bit more frantic and messy.
There is this other couple involved, too. Robert Armstrong is the other guy—you might know him from King Kong—and he looks so young here. He gets dragged into the drama because his fiancée wants the dog too.
The movie gets really good once the two men start working together. They aren't exactly geniuses. They just both really, really hate this dog.
One scene in a pet shop feels like it goes on forever. I think they were trying to fill time because the plot is pretty thin. The shopkeeper has this weirdly intense energy that didn't really fit the rest of the movie.
I noticed the Mawby sisters are in this—three of them! Claudette, Claudine, and Angella. I think they just play random girls in a scene, but it’s such a strange casting choice to have triplets or whatever they were and not really do anything with it.
If you want something with more of a story, maybe try The Law of Compensation. This movie isn't about the story. It's about people falling over furniture.
There’s a bit where a guy gets kicked out of his own house and has to sleep in the hallway. The way he adjusts his pillow on the floor made me feel a little bad for him. Real 1920s problems, right?
The dog doesn't actually do much. He just sits there looking smug. It’s the humans who are the real cyclones of chaos.
I forgot to mention the titles. The cards that explain the dialogue are actually pretty witty. They don't over-explain things. They just let the actors make funny faces.
Wait, I just realized the dog is barely in the last fifteen minutes. The movie kind of forgets it's about a dog and just becomes a bunch of people yelling at each other in a living room.
It’s still better than Fire Fighters, mostly because the stakes are so low. It’s just a dog! Why is everyone so upset? 🐕
Some of the sets look very cheap. Like, you can tell the walls would shake if someone slammed a door too hard. It adds to the charm, I guess.
The ending is a bit of a letdown. It just sort of... stops? I was expecting a big chase or something. But it’s a silent comedy, so I shouldn't be too picky about the structure.
Overall, if you find an old copy of this, give it a look. It’s a short watch. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon when you don't want to think too hard.
Just don't expect it to be a masterpiece like some of the other stuff from that era. It’s just a goofy movie about a dog. And sometimes that’s enough.
IMDb —
1918
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