Why Would You Believe It! is the weirdest 1920s gadget comedy

If you have an hour to kill and like seeing old British houses get slightly trashed by a miniature war machine, this is for you. It’s mostly for people who think 1920s slapstick is still funny, which I definitely do.

If you hate silent movies where people make huge bug-eyes at the camera or you need 4K explosions, you'll probably hate this. It's old, it's grainy, and the logic is paper thin.

Walter Forde is the main guy here, and he has this weirdly frantic energy. He’s like a British Harold Lloyd but maybe a bit more caffeinated and worried about his hair.

The whole plot is about this remote-controlled tank he invented. In 1929, the idea of "wireless" anything must have seemed like actual magic to people sitting in the dark.

The tank itself is the best part of the movie. It looks like a metal breadbox with treads, but it moves with this stubborn personality that almost makes it a character.

There is this one scene in a park where the tank starts chasing people. It’s not exactly high-octane action, but the way the extras scramble looks genuinely unscripted in a funny way.

I noticed one guy in the background of the park scene who just stares at the camera for three seconds. He looks so confused, like he didn't know a movie was being filmed that day.

The villains are these "foreign agents" who look exactly like what you’d expect from a 1920s thriller. Lots of heavy eyebrows and sneaking around corners in broad daylight.

They want the plans for the tank, obviously. Because a remote tank in 1929 would basically let you win any war without getting your shoes dirty.

I keep thinking about the remote control box Walter carries around. It’s huge! It looks like a suitcase full of vacuum tubes and regret.

The movie doesn't try to be deep like The New Babylon or anything. It just wants to show a guy falling over while a robot goes rogue.

There’s a girl, played by Pauline Johnson, who is mostly there to look concerned. She does the concerned face very well, though, usually while Walter is doing something incredibly stupid.

One bit that really stuck with me was when the tank goes up a set of stairs. You can almost see the wires pulling it, but the clunky movement is so charming I didn't even care.

It’s a very "busy" movie. There is always someone running or a door slamming or a car swerving.

Sometimes the editing is a bit jumpy. Like, one second they are in a lab, and the next they are suddenly in a field with no transition at all.

I think the director, who was also Walter Forde, just wanted to get to the next gag as fast as possible. Which is fine by me because the plot isn't exactly Shakespeare.

It reminds me a little of the energy in Fast and Fearless, just with more British politeness and less dust. The pace never really lets up once the tank gets loose.

The ending is a bit of a mess, to be honest. It just kind of happens, and then the movie is over before you can really process the resolution.

But that’s okay. I wasn't looking for a life-changing experience, just a few laughs at a motorized box.

If you’ve seen things like The Fall of the House of Usher and want something that won't give you nightmares, this is a good palate cleanser. 🍿

The music in the copy I watched was this repetitive piano track that started to grate after twenty minutes. I ended up muting it and putting on some lo-fi beats, which actually fit the tank scenes strangely well.

Is it a masterpiece? No way. But it has this sincere clumsiness that you just don't see in modern stuff.

The way Walter interacts with the mechanical props is so tactile. You can tell he’s actually wrestling with these heavy metal objects, not just pretending.

I think I liked it more than The Rage of Paris because it felt less staged. It feels like a group of friends got a budget to play with a big toy and some cameras.

The spies have this secret lair that looks like it was decorated by someone who had only ever seen a secret lair in a dream. It’s all weird angles and unnecessary shadows.

There’s a moment where a character tries to hide behind a very thin tree. It shouldn't work, but in the world of this movie, it’s basically an invisibility cloak.

I wish there were more movies like this today. Just simple ideas executed with a lot of physical effort and a bit of sweat.

The print I saw had some scratches on it, especially during the chase. It made the tank look like it was vibrating out of existence for a second.

Anyway, go watch it if you can find a decent version. It’s a fun little time capsule of what people thought the "future" looked like in the late twenties.

Just don't expect the remote control to work as well as your Xbox controller. 🎮