The mind of a child can be a strange and fascinating place, and this early silent adaptation of Sir James Barrie's famous play looks at times almost as if it were written and directed by a team of precocious kids. Rarely seen today (after being unfairly eclipsed by the animated Disney version), the film imagines Never Never Land as a strictly pre-adolescent dream world filled with innocent childhood fears and longings: friendly Indians, evil pirates, hungry alligators, all saturated in a sort of mock Freudian surrealism, with even the vicious pirates pining for mommy. Adding to the oddness is the sexual ambiguity of the title character, played by a sprightly Betty Bronson (looking more like a tomboy than a young lad refusing to grow up), and some wonderfully fervent Victorian patriotism (caught by Captain Hook, the children begin defiantly singing 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee'). The film was clever for its own time, but even today shows enough sophistication to still be a source of considerable enjoyment.
