The Fox Hunt (1931) review - Horses shouldn't bend like that

If you have about seven minutes to kill and you don't mind the crackly sound of early 1930s film, this is worth a look. It is mostly for people who like slapstick and don't take animal welfare in fiction too seriously. If you want a deep story, you are going to hate this.

It starts with a bunch of gentry types getting ready for the hunt. The horses look like they are made of rubber. Their legs bend in ways that honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It is that classic early animation style where everything is constantly bouncing for no reason.

There is this one guy who is way too big for his horse. He keeps trying to get on and the horse just looks done with life. I felt bad for the horse, honestly. It reminded me of the visual gags in Big Chief Koko, just less surreal.

The dogs are the best part. They all run in this big clump that looks like a moving carpet. They have these massive ears that flop around and make a lot of noise. It's loud. Like, really loud for an old movie.

I noticed a weird detail where one of the hunters has a monocle that never falls off. Even when he is falling off his horse, that thing is glued to his face. I wish I had that kind of confidence in my own glasses. It's the small things that stick with you.

Then there is the fox. He is way too cool for this movie. He just sits there licking his paw while twenty dogs are screaming his way. He has this smug energy that I really respected. He knows the humans are idiots.

The scenery is just okay. It’s mostly just trees and fences that look exactly the same. You can tell they reused the same background loop about five times. It’s not exactly The Girl from the Marsh Croft when it comes to atmosphere.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Fox Hunt (1931) through its definitive frames.

There is a scene where a horse gets stuck in a fence and it just... stays there? The movie doesn't really explain if the horse is okay. It just moves on to the next gag. That is 1930s comedy for you, I guess.

The sound design is crunchy. You know that sound when someone is eating chips too close to a microphone? That is what the horses' hooves sound like. It’s charming if you like that sort of thing, but it might give you a headache if you’re not in the mood.

I wonder why people used to find this so fancy. The movie treats the hunt like this big, grand event, but everyone involved looks like a total mess. It is basically a documentary about how to fall off a horse in public.

Compared to something like The Potterymaker, this has way more energy. But it’s also way more annoying. It’s just a lot of yelling and horn-blowing.

The ending is pretty abrupt. It just kind of stops once the fox wins. I like that the fox wins, though. He deserved it for dealing with those weird rubber horses all morning.

Is it a masterpiece? No. But it’s a weird little artifact. It’s better than watching Mothers of Men if you just want to see some chaotic animals. Just don't expect the physics to make any sense.

The animation on the fox's tail is actually pretty good. It moves like a separate character. I spent way too long just watching the tail instead of the actual chase.

Anyway, it’s a fine way to spend seven minutes. Just don't go in expecting profound art. It's just dogs and dudes in hats falling into bushes. Sometimes that is enough.