To be honest with you, I had never heard of the silent actor Max Linder until I picked up his DVD compilation from the library the other day. On it contains many shorts along with this, his feature from 1921, to the audiences of today, to which I say Thank You Very Much! Because this film is just WAITING to be discovered! Max plays a ridiculously rich guy, who is about to get married, and how a single day's sequence of events could seriously jeopardize his engagement. I was surprised to learn that this is the first movie that uses the "mirror" gag that we've seen countless times (most notably by the Marx Bros). Linder does this gag so astonishingly well, all other attempts in any other comedy (including animated!) pales in comparison. There are many other witty gags on display here, some fun with animals, some VERY clever disguise work (with some rather funny, but never offensive black person disguise) and some very amazing stunt work. And here's another reason why you should see this. With most silent movies nowadays, I don't find much particularly funny anymore. But with this, I was laughing out loud at least 3 times during the movie. And when I notice myself laughing, then it must mean something!
Review of Seven Years Bad Luck
