Francis

Starring: Donald O'Connor, Patricia Medina, Zadu Pitts, Ray Collins, John McIntre, Eduard Franz, Chill Wills (voice)
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Comedy, War, Fantasy
1950

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A 2nd lieutenant (Donald O'Connor) is shocked when he meets Francis, a talking mule.

Review:
Tim: Francis was a big hit in 1950, so popular with audiences that it spawned six sequels. That's crazy, and it took me a very long time to get around to seeing this movie. Truth be told, I'd never heard of this series and was shocked to learn 7 films came out during the 1950s. That is a lot of films. I suppose I see the appeal of the movie, but I didn't think it was anything special.

The idea is a humorous one- we have a talking mule that is actually the most intelligent "person" in the film. He connects with a kind but simple man, 2nd Lieutenant Peter Stirling. Francis helps him out in various ways (usually by putting him in difficult situations to do it), but will only speak to him. Some of the funniest aspects of the film involve others thinking Stirling is completely crazy for claiming to speak to a mule. The film did a really good job of continually mining this for laughs. It was humorous because we knew the truth, so we could sit back and laugh at the situation. I will say that the film had a tendency to go back to the same well a little too often. The film did one thing that was funny and then kept doing it again and again. I liked how Stirling found himself back in the psych ward many times, but it also felt a little too redundant. The movie didn't quite have enough laughs to cover the entire run time, which was disappointing. The whole thing felt like it was stretched beyond the limit by its 91 minute run time.

The camera tricks to make Francis seem like he was talking were fun, but pretty obvious if you're paying attention. I'm sure audiences in the 50s watched with glee, but it did feel a little hokey by today's standards. Still, the idea of a talking mule is a funny one and there were a few moments where it truly did look like Francis was talking to the humans around him. One of the funniest recurring jokes was when Stirling would try to get Francis to talk and he'd just sit there like a mule- it was a funny reminder of how ridiculous the whole thing was.

While this movie had some humorous moments sprinkled throughout, the whole thing felt like a slightly lackluster effort. The whole idea of a mule talking felt like such a fun idea that the execution of that idea seemed less important. That's a mistake and a big reason I didn't like this movie more. It's an okay film, but it kind of surprises me that this was such a hit that it inspired multiple sequels.

The 1950s might be the decade I struggle the most with fully understanding in terms of cinema. This movie is worth seeing because of its popularity, but I certainly wouldn't go into this expecting a classic. Francis is fine, but I would say I'm more a fan of the idea than the movie itself.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Francis Goes to the Races