He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Victor Sjöström

Writers:

Leonid Andreyev (play)
Victor Sjöström (adaptation)

Release Date:

9 November 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Story of an inventor who, suffering betrayal in life, makes a career of it by becoming a clown whose...

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Tragedy | Remake | Cuckold | Based On Play

Cast

Lon Chaney	...	Paul Beaumont / HE
Norma Shearer	...	Consuelo
John Gilbert	...	Bezano
Tully Marshall	...	Count Mancini
Marc McDermott	...	Baron Regnard
Ford Sterling	...	Tricaud
Harvey Clark	...	Briquet (as Harvey Clarke)
Paulette Duval	...	Zinida
Ruth King	...	Maria Beaumont
Clyde Cook	...	A Clown
Brandon Hurst	...	A Clown
George Davis	...	A Clown

Runtime:

Sweden:95 min | USA:80 min (original release) | 71 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

This was the first production to start filming in the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was not their first release, though; it was held until the holiday season when attendance is higher for "important" films.

Goofs:

Continuity: During part of the scene where the lion is loose in the room, Beaumont is seen with no, or hardly any, black makeup around his right eye. Before and after this scene, both eyes are made up.

Quotes:

Opening Dialogue Card: In the grim comedy of life, it has been wisely said that the last laugh is the best.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)

Lon Chaney's best film?

I think one could argue that "He Who Gets Slapped" is Lon Chaney's best film. Since Lon Chaney is the greatest character actor of all time, this makes it a must-see (a term I abhor) for everyone. The way to watch this movie is as a sort of twisted fairy tale. The Melodrama exists to satisfy audience demands but there is much more going on here, and what's beautiful is that it is happening in a way that affects the viewer even if he or she isn't aware of it. Lon Chaney's performance is heartbreaking, particularly when he carries the cloth heart that has been torn from his breast, but at other moments he is sadistic and vengeful, as when he lets the lions out to kill a scheming circus manager and a sotted aristocrat. When I watch this scene I admit that I am laughing with Lon -- you have to love it! Norma Shearer and John Gilbert..... nobody ever had a better supporting cast. The circus theme is a parable for the world of human relations, where we are often called upon to amuse others instead of showing our true feelings. Lon's performance is a classic of self-torture and humiliation, and this movie should be remembered for all time as establishing MGM on the track that made it Hollywood's all time greatest studio.