Algie, the Miner (1912)

The Worst Film Ever

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Algie, the Miner" is an American 10-minute short from 1912, so this one already made it past the 100-year-mark and as such it is of course a black-and-white silent film. Even if you are probably not too familiar with the names of director Edward Warren and his cast here, then let me assure you that this is because the time passed ant not because of lack of activity as there are many people who are part of this film that had really prolific careers in the first half the 20th century. But despite this experience, this was not a good watch here. Making a film that successfully combines the genres comedy and western (and romance) is already pretty difficult by definition and back then the means certainly weren't there yet. The lack of a sufficient amount of intertitles is another big problem as I found it fairly difficult to understand what was going on. The lead actor here (Billie Quirk) had a bit of a Buster Keaton thing going for him I guess. All in all, not a disastrous watch, but still on a level where I would only recommend it to the very biggest silent fans. And even those won't be missing too much if they decide to skip this one here. I give it a thumbs-down.

This is, like most films of the day, a very short movie. At only ten minutes, it tells the tale of a very wimpy and rather effeminate man's change to manhood. Billy Quirk wants to marry a girl--and considering how he dresses and acts, it's actually a little surprising he wants her. But before he is allowed to marry the girl, he is told to go out and prove his manhood, so he becomes, of all things, a cowboy. Well, despite the impossibility of this task, he quickly proves himself and when he an his new-found friend arrive back home, the family is actually scared of the super-virile Billy, since he's now a tough hombre.This is an odd film because it really looks as if the producers are trying to say that Billy is gay (based on the way he dresses and because he kisses the first cowboy he meets) but the plot involves him wanting to marry a real live girl! An odd but very watchable film that's good for a few laughs. Some of the other reviews scored the film lower, but for 1912, this was a very good film--as I have seen several hundred very early films and this is better than most.

This very brief film is about a man called Algie Allmore played by Billy Quirk who is a young man who appears as a sissy or pansy and his intended father-in-law wants him to prove he is a man in one year if he wants to marry his daughter. So, Algie heads West dressed up like a funny cowboy with a very tiny pistol and a weird looking western hat. Algie meets up with some very rough and tough cowboys who laugh their heads off just looking at poor Algie. However, Algie gets broken in with his surroundings by finding a gold mine, riding a horse and the ability of knowing what to do with a gun and and is able to stand by himself against all the cowboys. Funny film and enjoyable.

DEFINITE SPOILERS!!!! Algie (a VERY effeminate man) must prove his manhood to marry the daughter of a rich man. To prove this he goes out west and (after kissing two men on the cheek) is "taught" by Big Jim on how to be a man. This leads to utterly predictable "comedy". It seems hopeless but then Algie proves himself by saving Jim from being robbed and he goes home to marry his girlfriend.The story is silly, the comedy painful and the acting is WAY over the top even for a silent movie. But, in terms of gay characters, this is important. It's one of the first representations of a gay character on screen and (even though it's negative) it is historically important. Also Algie DOES prove himself to be a man at the end. The extremely effeminate mannerisms that Algie shows may offend some gay viewers, but it really shouldn't. It's just a sign of its time.