Tuesday, October 4, 2011

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)


Metro-Goldwyn
Directed by Victor Seastrom
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Archive Collection)

Lon Chaney is a starving scientist who makes an important discovery in his field of the origin of mankind. His benefactor schedules a speech in front of the scientific community, but uses it to claim the discovery as his own. He also steals the man's wife. Heartbroken, Chaney becomes a circus clown. He develops an act in which he is slapped hundreds of times during the performance, reenacting his humiliation in front of the science board. He falls in love with bareback rider Norma Shearer, but she does not return his affections. The old benefactor shows up at one of the performances and plots to buy Shearer's hand from her father. Chaney tries to stop him. Chaney's performance is top notch as always, but the symbolism is rather crude and obvious.

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