Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks

An early example of a "vanity" production, this feature-length documentary is comprised of glorified home movies taken by film star Douglas Fairbanks Sr. during a trip to the Orient in the company of several friends. Fairbanks doesn't exactly take us around the world, though he does offer fascinating glimpses of Japan, China, Siam and India, with a smattering of the Philippines. Very little is shown here that hasn't been seen in dozens of other travelogues; on the other hand, how many travelogues could boast shots of the middle-aged Fairbanks, still in fine fettle, performing the same athletic feats that had won him fame 15 years earlier. The audiences is apprised of Fairbanks' progress through the use of maps and a rather expensive "pointer" (actually one of Fairbank's custom-made golf clubs). Originally released as AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES WITH DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, the film was released through United Artists, which Fairbanks had helped form back in 1919.