The Kid Stakes

Compelled to rate this higher as a proud Antipodean, and as a historical document, it’s fascinating as a record of suburban Sydney from nearly 100 years ago, as well as seeing Fatty Finn himself and his gang, who seem to bear more than a little resemblance to The Little Rascals. As a movie, it’s a lurching, sometimes ungainly mess that shows its seams from its 1950s re-cobble together; the “stakes” don’t even start until the finale, making this feel like a Cannonball Run prototype at times!