TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews This is based on the version that is 26 and a half minutes long. This was part of a 3-DVD box-set, and this disc came with Just Ramblin' Along, Oranges and Lemons, The Tree in a Test Tube and the two Three Stooges ones, Brideless Groom and Sing a Song of Six Pants; it also came with Malice in the Palace, and the features Atoll K(or Utopia) and Flying Deuces. I will review them all on their separate pages. Since I haven't watched the original that this is a parody of, I cannot really compare the two. I can, however, tell you that this is very funny. Low on plot(and what there is can best be described as simplistic), this moves to the next bit whenever it's out of the often clever gags that it can derive from the current sequence. If you enjoy slapstick(and I seldom do, but this was so good), wordplay and such, the way Laurel did them, this should entertain you. There are surprises, and it's easy to follow. It is silent and black and white, of course. The quality of the picture(the audio is fine) leads me to believe this hasn't been restored. Still, you can see what's going on, and it's not straining for the eyes. Other than the whole matador, man against bull, life or death, thing, this is inoffensive. I recommend this to anyone who can imagine laughing at it. 7/10

Snow Leopard Besides being an entertaining parody of Rudolph Valentino and of his well-known feature "Blood and Sand", this movie also features Stan Laurel in an interesting early role. As a character spoofing Valentino's bullfighter role, Laurel has a lot of material to work with, and although it was not written to accommodate Laurel's particular strengths or style, it is still easy to see his talent coming across.Most of the characters and story of "Mud and Sand" closely parallel the Valentino classic, often with puns on the character names or exaggerated slapstick that spoofs the action in the original. It was clearly made with the expectation that its viewers would be familiar with Valentino's movie, and a number of times the humor depends on remembering a character or plot development from it.At the same time, there is also a fair amount of new material that works well on its own. The sequence showing the young bullfighter's first success, and the scene of him dressing for the final fight, both have some good gag ideas and interesting details.At times, the gag ideas and the main character have noticeable similarities with Charlie Chaplin's style, while at other times the style simply reflects conventions common to the era. The Stan Laurel character that is so familiar from the Laurel & Hardy comedies is only glimpsed at odd moments.Yet, while it usually takes a bit of an adjustment to watch Laurel in a different kind of role like this, it is also easy to see his range of comic abilities here. This feature is also entertaining in its own right, especially for those who have seen the movie that it parodies.

knsevy One of the many silent comedies Stan Laurel featured in before he teamed with Oliver Hardy, 'Mud and Sand' is a ho-hum hokum. The story is badly disjointed - though this could be because of the modern-day edit - and the humor itself is not at all inventive.Potential plotlines are started and ignored; for instance, Stan's promise to make Fillet de Sole pay for what she's done to him never comes to fruition. Stan's character doesn't seem very centered, either, but this is a common criticism of his work before he developed 'Stanley' of Laurel & Hardy fame, so it might be that I was just expecting to see this shortcoming.I strongly believe that all the silent films should be preserved and viewed, and I'm glad this one is still available. It's just not a great film.

lavich When I saw this movie for the first time I didn't believe my own eyes. In front of me there was a great -and well done- parody of Valentino... see Stan Laurel bullfight that way is like to see an excellent fencer in action! It's a very good parody, rich of ideas, with a clever and charming Stan... old and good like whiskey. (or the booze-up after that)