Diagonaldi Very well executed

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Mud and Sand" is an American black-and-white film from almost 95 years ago that stars Stan Laurel, one of the most famous comedians from the 1920s. It is a silent film that spoofs another silent film and maybe, for me, this is what kills this 22-minute work. I do not know the film that this one here is based on and it seems absolutely essential to understand the action here and it is never good if one movie requires having watched another. Apart from that, Laurel is really not that funny here and it seems he needs Hardy to show his great skill and it is probably true the other way around too. So yeah, this film is not among the most known Laurel films from between the 2 wars and I personally can see why it is not so famous. It is a very forgettable watch and I cannot recommend it.

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

hte-trasme Stan Laurel, it's been noted, first made a real name for himself by appearing in short parodies of popular feature films in the 1920s. He certainly demonstrates himself to be an excellent comic actor and performer here in "Mud and Sand" (a parody of Rudolph Valntino's "Blood and Sand"), but I think a film like this really works not because Laurel was a great satirist but because it allows the audience to jump into the comedy already familiar with the situation and scenes. Laurel can then let loose with his inspired gags without either having to create context or to do without it. I watched this the day after watching "Blood and Sand" itself; it certainly enhanced the experience to know what was being parodied and where.The scene where Laurel's character (Rhubarb Vaseline if you believe the title cards, or Rhubarb Vaselino if you believe how his name gets written on the chalk board) bilks his mother out of money with a two-for-you, two-for-me trick is funny on its own because it's a great gag, but it's extra funny if the viewer is aware how it is taking the air out of Valentino's extravagant and melodramatic promises to give his mother any luxuries she desires.This is the best Stan Laurel solo work I've seen. It's just plain funny -- even more so if you have had a chance to see the source material.

Lanting Stan as a bullfighter, and a good one, is quite a surprise. Usually overshadowed by Oliver Hardy, this silent short allows him to take the lead, and the limelight.One can only draw the conclusion that his character "Rhubarb Vaselino" was a parody of the many Rudolph Valentino movies of this era.Be prepared to laugh yourself silly at some of the dialog, and keep an eye on the special effects.I viewed this on DVD in a Vol.1 & 2 collection.