This very early version of "Peter Pan" which happens to be the first feature length version may in fact be the best version out there. I appreciate how faithfully it tells the story. Then again, there are some pretty weird problems. The animal costumes are quite bad and you can easily tell it's just someone in a costume. I mean, a dog is an animal very easy to train, so why do you even need someone to dress up as one? I admit it was also pretty odd how Peter Pan was played by a woman. I mean, his entire character is that he's one of the Lost Boys.

Still, this movie still had a lot going for it. I actually think the ending is the best part because they actually have the parents adopt the Lost Boys! Peter Pan still leaves to be with the fairies, though. I don't think that was in the original book version. I read a watered down version of it once. Although before sound pictures, there's one point where Captain Hook and his men yell out "Whoo! Whoo!". It certainly seems as though it's the actual actors making the sounds. The drum beat seems authentic too. It's nice how a lot holds up. ***

There's probably something deeply psychological about J.M. Barrie's story about a boy who doesn't want to grow up, doesn't want to define the relationship he and a girl who's attracted to him have, and seeks a mother figure who will clean up after him. Barrie was 44 when he wrote it, but maybe it's too simplistic to say he was going through a midlife crisis. Regardless, this is a pretty endearing telling of his classic story, as part of the fun is just how comical the costumes are, e.g. Nana the dog and the Crocodile clearly being played by a guy in a suit. You get a mix of that kind of thing with some actually pretty cool effects, such as Tinker Bell, the kids flying after thinking "wonderful, lovely thoughts," and the miniature fairies, so that even though the story is well known, it's nice to see how it was rendered in 1924.

However, what made the film for me was Betty Bronson, who plays Peter Pan with so much flair and energy. Everything about her facial expressions and body language is true to the part, and she's often on tiptoes while striking a dramatic pose. I can just imagine the audience in the theater at the time clapping when she breaks the fourth wall to get their help to save Tinker Bell. I have to say though, her beautiful legs make it pretty obvious that's she's not a boy (she was 18), and I have to believe this added an element of titillation to her kissing scenes with Wendy (Mary Brian) even at the time. She's well supported by the rest of the cast, including Brian and Ernest Torrence (Captain Hook), but if you're watching the film primarily for Anna May Wong you'll probably be disappointed, because her part is small and she's in the problematic role of appearing as the "redskin" Tiger Lily (ugh, and the depiction of this tribe obviously is the low point of the story/film).

The film lags a little in the beginning, where we suffer through some boorish behavior on the part of the father (giving his medicine to the dog?!) and at the end (perhaps because we know how it ends), so there are several reasons why this kids film from nearly 100 years ago might no longer appeal to an adult today. I liked its whimsy though, and found myself entertained.