Zampa (1923) is mostly just Buddy Roosevelt being a stunt god

If you are looking for a deep story that makes you think about the meaning of life, stay away from Zampa. This is a movie for people who like to see guys in giant hats jump off of things.

It stars Buddy Roosevelt. He was a stuntman before he was an actor, and you can really tell within the first five minutes.

Is it worth watching today? Only if you have a soft spot for the silent era or you really like seeing how they did stunts before computers existed.

Most people will probably find it a bit slow despite all the running around. There is a lot of waiting for things to happen.

The plot is basically your standard western stuff. There is a hero, some bad guys, and a lot of dust.

I forgot the names of half the characters about twenty minutes in. It doesn't really matter though because you know who the good guy is by his shiny smile.

Buddy Roosevelt has this way of moving that is almost like a dancer. He doesn't just get on a horse; he sort of teleports onto it.

There is a scene where he is riding through a valley and the camera is shaking so much you can barely see him. It feels real in a way modern movies don't.

You can tell the cameraman was probably hanging off the side of a car or another horse. It’s shaky and imperfect and I kind of love it for that.

I noticed a dog in the background of the town scene that looks very confused. He just stands there watching the actors like he knows they are being weird.

The film quality on the version I watched was pretty rough. There are scratches everywhere, like someone dragged the film across a gravel driveway.

In a way, the scratches make it better. It feels like a relic.

The villain, played by Wallace MacDonald, spends a lot of time looking devious. He has one of those faces that just screams "I am going to do something mean in a minute."

One reaction shot of him lingers for about six seconds too long. He just stares into the lens until it gets awkward.

I wonder if the director just forgot to yell cut. Or maybe they thought his staring was really intense.

It reminded me a bit of the energy in Speeding Through. Both movies seem more interested in momentum than logic.

There is a moment where a character points at a mountain for no reason. No one looks at the mountain, and the scene just ends.

That is the kind of stuff you get in these old silents. They just leave things in.

The pacing is a bit like a car that keeps stalling. It goes really fast during a chase, then it just stops for a long conversation you have to read on title cards.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Zampa (1930) through its definitive frames.

The title cards are okay, but they use a lot of fancy cursive that is hard to read if you are tired. I had to squint a few times.

If you want something with a bit more of a comedy vibe, you might prefer Mine Your Business!. That one feels a bit more intentional with its gags.

Zampa feels like it was made in a weekend by people who just wanted to ride horses. There is nothing wrong with that.

I actually think the movie gets better if you stop trying to follow the "why" of the story. Just watch the "how."

How did he jump that fence? How did that horse not trip on all those rocks?

There is a sequence near the end involving a cabin that is actually pretty tense. The shadows are very long and it looks like a horror movie for a second.

Then Buddy Roosevelt shows up and the tension evaporates because you know he’s going to win. He’s too charming to lose.

His hat never seems to fall off either. That is the most unrealistic part of the whole thing.

He’s doing flips and the hat stays glued to his head. I want to know what kind of 1923 glue he was using.

Compared to something like The Scarlet Car, this feels much more grounded in the dirt. It’s not trying to be fancy.

It’s just a guy, a horse, and a dusty trail. It’s simple.

Sometimes simple is fine. I wouldn't watch it twice, but I’m glad I saw it once.

The ending is very abrupt. It just sort of... stops.

The hero wins, the girl is happy, and the screen goes black. No big speech, no long goodbye.

It’s like the filmmakers ran out of film and just decided that was enough. It makes me laugh every time a movie does that.

If you have an hour to kill and you want to see some real stunts, give it a look. Just don't expect a masterpiece 🤠.

It’s a solid C+ movie that is elevated by Buddy's energy. He really was a physical marvel.

I noticed one extra in the bar scene who was clearly laughing at something off-camera. I love finding little mistakes like that in these old prints.

It reminds you that these were just people at work. They weren't trying to make "cinema," they were just making a movie.

And Zampa is definitely a movie. Nothing more, nothing less.