Before Douglas Fairbanks starred in derring-do films like Robin Hood, The Mark of Zorro and The Thief of Baghdad, he acted as a comedian who did amazing stunts. His 1916 Flirting with Fate is a great balance of both genres. The film flirts with a dark subject all too familiar today, as Augy, a starving artist (Fairbanks) suffers a series of reversals (no sales, a burglary, losing the girl of his dreams) and decides it is time to end it all. Quickly realizing that suicide will be more difficult than he thought, he decides to spend his last $50 to hire a hit man (the working title of the film was The Assassin) to bump him off – when he least expects it, so that he cannot lose his nerve at the last moment.
Would that all such plans work out as his does. The anxiety of the audience is relieved almost at once, but not so for Augy. When his girl forgives him, the burglar is caught, and he inherits money, he realizes that he and his hired assassin never exchanged contact information so he has no way to call him off. What began in despair continues in lively desperation as Augy leaps, climbs and dodges through a series of attempts to elude a death he no longer desires. It’s no spoiler to say the film ends well for all: Augy gets the girl, the hit man gets what he needs, and the audience gets to laugh out loud!
Click here for a $5 ticket to view a recording of the film with live piano accompaniment
Or subscribe to this site to see every film, including special members-only content ($10/month)