He Who Gets Slapped (1924) watch online HD

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.

Considered the very first MGM production (which featured the well known lion amidst its emblem), this is not a horror story despite the presence of Lon Chaney (who starred in a number of successful Grand Guignol-themed films), but something of a love story, even if Chaney loves from afar and goes to extreme lengths to protect the object of his affection. He plays Paul Beaumont, a failed scientist who has been slapped -- literally -- by the science community, his wife Maria (Ruth King), and her sponsor/lover, the Baron Regnard (Mark McDermott). Defeated, he has retreated to the underbelly of society: the world of the circus freaks. As the clown HE, Beaumont is the man with the main attraction, a routine in which he gets slapped hundreds of times by other clowns -- a repetition of his humiliation inciting uproarious laughter from the audience. The only thing which lights him up is the ingénue Consuelo (Norma Shearer in an early role) whom he loves in silence. She in turn loves Bezano (John Gilberrt), but is about to be forced into marriage to the Baron. Here is when HE concocts a terrible revenge to protect Consuelo.

A classic romantic setup with eerie undertones, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED is an excellent film which makes us feel pity for this mistreated man, portrayed by Lon Chaney like no one could. The quintessential wronged man, he plays the crying clown to the extreme, and while we know and accept he will not get the girl -- Chaney rarely did -- the element of pathos is there. His performance in this movie is one of the most moving of all cinema history, and it takes a special type of talent to embrace the grotesque and delve so deep into human pain. Even the inter-cuts in which HE spins a massive globe have a frenetic tragic quality about them: he is effectively spinning the law of fate.

As a footnote, this was not Norma Shearer's first performance (her first recorded appearance dates from 1920 as an extra) but it is the first she did for MGM, playing an ingénue although she was 24 years old at the time. As the object of the love Consuelo ignores, she is apt but pales in comparison to her co-star. Chaney is the life, the soul, the very reason of this story's existence.

Before I saw "He Who Get's Slapped" my 3 favorite movies were The Empire Strikes Back, Evil Dead 2, and Star Trek II.

This movie is 180 degrees from any of those movies, in fact, it's in a whole other universe. This silent film that opened in 1924 changed my movie tastes so much that it's amazing. I was just flicken channels one night after studying for a final for 3 hours and stopped on TCM for a second because Robert Osborne said that it starred Lon Chaney. In my niavete, I thought he was talking about the guy who played The Wolf Man, but this is in fact Lon Chaney Sr. Junior is the guy who had played Wolfie.

So I started watching it and was about to change it when I found out it was a silent film. But I stayed with it for a few minutes, and soon I was enraptured. 2 hours later, I was riveted to the edge of my seat as HE's struggle came to a climax. Well, the next day, I failed the test. But I learned more watching that movie than I could ever learn in Calc 320.

Since then, I have watched TCM religiously (when I'm not studying of course) and now I realize that 99% of movies made in modern times are vastly inferior to the old classic movies.

Black and White RULES

If you haven't seen He Who Gets Slapped. Track it down and WATCH IT. It is WAY better than The Phantom Menace.

A celebrated circus clown, HE Who Gets Slapped, plots the punishment of two evil aristocrats.

Lon Chaney, the Silent Screen's master chameleon, adds another portrait to his gallery of pathetic grotesques. This time he plays a scientist who becomes a clown after his former life is destroyed by his adulterous wife and a faithless friend. A young woman provides him with someone to secretly adore, until her wicked father threatens to ruin her happiness. Chaney's face is an absolute wonder to watch as it registers pain, anguish, distress and unrequited passion, underlining the modern reassessment of him as one of cinema's greatest actors. Uninhibited in his circus costume & makeup, he provides no doubt but that he, under different circumstances, could have become a marvelous big top clown.

This was the first release of the new film company merger Metro-Goldwyn, thus making Chaney their first star, and was an important rung up the ladder for the two performers playing the young lovers. Norma Shearer & John Gilbert would soon be major movie celebrities--here they give good account of themselves as the circus' daredevil & bareback riders, and as Chaney's truest friends (both unaware of his love for Miss Shearer). In a film full of circus excitement, the director has given the young couple a moment of unexpected beauty: whilst on a picnic their innocent affections are noticed by a passing peasant, who gives the call of the cuckoo as the perfect grace note to their bucolic joy.

Marc McDermott as a brutal Baron and Tully Marshall as a dissolute Count make villains well worthy of the harshest retribution. Comic Ford Sterling plays one of Chaney's fellow clowns.

The Studio gave this silent film fine production values, while director Victor Sjöström added little embellishments of cinematic flair, dealing with scenes of mysterious clown figures representing fate, which enhance the film.

I saw this film first on Public Television (the score that is still used, I believe, was developed when the film was restored in Chicago) and have always loved it in all it's raging perversity. It is beyond ironic that one of the major studios was launched on a film who's premise was that the public is a malevolent, cruel ass. We are never allowed to forget that as horrible as the villain is; the drooling, jeering, sadistic vermin in the circus crowd are worse.

The spookiness of the direction, I think, is what hooked me. All the leads are excellent and perfectly cast. This is the ultimate in melodrama, and it's drawn is such broad strokes that it's hard to imagine as a talkie.

Bravo to Turner Classic Movies for making available, once again, the cinematic art of one of the best actors ever, Lon Chaney. As Andreyev's disappointed scientist turned circus clown, Paul Beaumont, Chaney makes the most of every scene he's in, and never disappoints. We feel the agony of his hopeless love for the lovely bareback rider Consuelo, as well as the seething anger toward the man who ruined his life, the despicable Baron Renard. It's a far better performance, in my opinion, than his similar role four years later in "Laugh, Clown, Laugh," much more understated and, therefore, much more involving.

But that's not to take away from the other performances, by any means. Norma Shearer, in her first major role as Consuelo, is suitably attractive and gives a good performance, but to see her at her best is to see such '30's classics as "A Free Soul" and especially "Marie Antoinette." There, she was a mature actress; here, she was a promising newcomer. John Gilbert already shows that he had the goods to become one of the top leading men of the '20's, managing to convey virility even in multicolored tights. And Marc McDermott and old veteran Tully Marshall make two of the best silent villains ever as the aforementioned Baron and as Consuelo's father, an impoverished nobleman ready to force his daughter into marrying the Baron just to improve his fortunes, respectively. You're genuinely glad, at an almost visceral level, when they wind up getting what they deserve in the end.

I don't know who composed the music score used in the print seen on TCM, but it's excellent and really compliments the action.

Victor Seastrom's moody direction is perfect, especially his use of a globe-spinning clown to serve as sort of a Greek chorus at various points in the film.

In short, this is a true silent classic, silent film making at its' best, and well worth seeing.

80 years is a loooooong time. I can't believe MGM's really been around that long. But when it came to making this picture, they were off to a great start. Getting Lon Chaney from Universal was a very wise choice (it'd be hard to see someone else in the part he played), the supporting cast which included Norma Shearer (future Best Actress Oscar winner), John Gilbert (future star of "The Big Parade" (1925) and "Queen Christina" (1933)), as well as notable character actors Tully Marshall and Ford Sterling, it is nothing short of splendid. Lon Chaney's deep, gripping facial expressions, especially in his scenes with rival Baron Regnard (played by Marc McDermott) are the most expressive I've ever seen on film. TCM aired a print with a synchronized music & effects track (which sounds as if it was recorded maybe in the 1960's or 1970's) on Oct. 30th, 2003, and I was so enthralled with how it looked that I taped it and now have it in my collection. If you ever happen to come accross this movie, watch it! You will not be dissapointed. Because MGM means great movies, doesn't it?

After my mixed response to THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923), I decided to augment my current Silent-film schedule with a mini-Lon Chaney marathon. Others I intend to watch in the coming days are THE MONSTER (1925), THE BLACK BIRD (1926), MR. WU (1927) and WHERE EAST IS EAST (1929). All of these I have recorded off Cable TV, and so far all have received a single viewing.

So, let's start with HE WHO GETS SLAPPED and THE UNKNOWN which, incidentally, have many things in common. They are both set in a circus and involve love triangles which end in tragedy. However, the style adopted by the two films' directors, Victor Sjostrom and Tod Browning respectively, is completely different – and this goes for the characters Chaney plays, too.

I had been instantly impressed by HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, and a second viewing only consolidates my high opinion of it. The film - MGM's very first production, incidentally – was considered highbrow material at the time, not only because it was helmed by a foreigner but also due to the unusually intricate nature of the plot (complete with a healthy dose of symbolism) and a clear emphasis on composition and lighting throughout (one amazing shot has Chaney alone in the circus arena when the lights are being turned off for the night, with the screen entirely black except for Chaney's painted face!).

Chaney is superb as the humiliated scientist-turned-clown (drawing an interesting parallel to Emil Jannings in two Expressionist masterworks, Murnau's THE LAST LAUGH [1924] and Von Sternberg's THE BLUE ANGEL [1930]). His whole life's work is stolen from him and he decides to go into self-willed exile (an influence perhaps on Chaney's future characterization as Erik, the 'Phantom' of the Paris Opera House?) at a circus. Chaney's reaction shots in this film are nothing short of sensational. The sheer masochism in evidence here (a distinctly un-American touch) must not have gone down well with the studio, to say nothing of the gruesome ending when he finally wreaks his revenge. I cannot say for sure, but most of what Chaney was to accomplish in his famed collaboration with Tod Browning, on films like THE UNHOLY THREE (1925) and THE UNKNOWN, is already evident in this film - except that the actor here is less given to uncanny make-up design (which might have overshadowed his acting abilities at times), while the handling is altogether more sophisticated and artful!

Only the middle section drags a bit, as it stresses the budding relationship between Norma Shearer and John Gilbert (though this is contrasted with her father's scheming with a lecherous Baron who, incidentally, turns out to be Chaney's deadly enemy!), but the rest is riveting stuff – this film deserves to be better known, and I long for the day Warners gets to release a Box Set of Lon Chaney classics on DVD!!

I saw this film for the first time on TCM and I have to tell you, no movie has hooked me in like this for the longest time! I furthered my appreciation for Lon Chaney, the first TRUE film actor their was in my opinion. This was the first film made by MGM and it was the best choice they could have made.

The film concerns a scientist/inventor played by Chaney whose discoveries are claimed by someone else, a baron. He is publicly humiliated but sees an oppurtunity and becomes a circus clown as a result of it. He falls in love with one of the bareback riders at the circus but, as is common with a lot of his films, the girl loves someone else. One night, the baron who ruined his life comes to the circus and he see's his opportunity for revenge. The overall theme and/or message of this movie is "he who gets the last laugh, laughs last!"

The film is marveously done from begining to end. Chaney is brilliant as always but his performance is subtle at saddening and vicious at times, you actually root for him!

Bravo!

He Who Gets Slapped is based on the Russian Leonid Andreyev's 1914 play about a circus melodrama. The arty silent film was the first movie made entirely under MGM's control and the first to feature the MGM lion, but it was not its first release as the studio chose to delay its opening until the busy holiday season. Young 'genius' executive Irving Thalberg, just under studio head Louis B. Mayer, produced it; during filming he was seeing Norma Shearer, and three years later they were married.

It marked the American debut of Swedish director Victor Seastrom, who masterfully helms it. Though the film itself is an intermittently entertaining and inventive silent melodrama showcasing the very physical acting skills of Lon Chaney, a screen legend whose premature death in 1930 robbed cinema of a unique talent. Here he plays obsessed scientist Paul Beaumont, whose work 'on the origins of mankind' is stolen by his devious patron, the Baron de Regnard (Marc McDermott) – who also makes off with Beaumont's wife for good measure.

Utterly devastated by life's savage cruelties, Beaumont literally runs away to the circus where he starts a new life as a clown. Known as 'HE who gets slapped' – or simply 'HE' for short – his act consists of enduring nightly physical abuse at the hands of his impassive fellow clowns, to the explosive delight of the circus's boorish audiences: a more economic definition of schadenfreude (taking joy at the misfortunes of others) would be harder to imagine.

But though HE (the character's "name" is capitalized in all inter titles) becomes a roaring success, it turns out that fate hasn't yet done with him – he secretly dotes on Consuelo (Norma Shearer), a bare-back rider in love with her fellow performer Bezano (John Gilbert). HE can just about stand this state of affairs – but when the dastardly Baron returns to the scene and starts moving in on Consuelo, HE is spurred into a drastic act of revenge.

Chaney gives a heartbreaking naturalistic performance, it's one his most toned down and believable work, possibly showing the most painful expressions to ever grace the screen. This is largely due to the director, Sjostrom, who didn't believe in the over the top acting style of the age. It's certainly a contender for Chaney's best film (and performance), but despite being one of his oldest that's still available, it's certainly one of his most modern. Of course, his circus act is great, with the ironic climax finally turning the tables on the viewer. Chaney is incredible!!!

Based on a play from Russian author Leonid Andreyev, 'He Who Gets Slapped' has some very dark themes - humiliation, adultery, betrayal, exploitation, and sadistic glee at someone else's expense. Lon Chaney stars as a scientist who early on suffers in two ways: his discoveries are stolen by his benefactor (Marc McDermott), and then his wife (Ruth King) tells him she's leaving him for the same scoundrel. Humiliated in public and private by being slapped and laughed at, he retreats from his life and takes up a career as a clown. His act? Being slapped and abused by 60 other clowns, much to the merriment of the audience. (Of course!)

It's a kind of ridiculous plot device to get him into this position, and then for his benefactor to cross paths with him five years later, but if you can suspend disbelief, you'll probably enjoy the film for its performances. You see some of the worst of human behavior shown in unflinching ways, and Chaney is the perfect guy for the part. He's fantastic, and to see him dressed up as a pathetic, bitter clown is something else. The film also includes Norma Shearer early in her career (just 22 years old); she plays a new performer to the circus. She begins having romantic feelings for her fellow horseman (John Gilbert), and there is a lovely scene of them out on a picnic, the charm of which helps lighten the tone of the movie. Shearer is so pretty that she also attracts Chaney (who we feel sorry for), and McDermott (who we hiss at). Love and self-sacrifice are the best of human behavior, and provide a counterbalance to the rest of the film.

Another aspect I found interesting was that it reminded me of a couple of Chaney's later films in the 1920's that I had seen before, both directed by Tod Browning. 'The Unknown' (1927) also takes place in a circus, and in one of its best scenes, features Chaney's horror and angst to being laughed at. 'Where East is East' (1929) also features 'murder by using a wild animal', though in that film, it was a gorilla, and here, it's a lion. It's interesting that these themes were recycled, and perhaps a testament to the power of their darkness.

I'm hardly a silent film buff--but I am a fan of Lon Chaney--and I have seen nearly all of his surviving features. Not being an expert on silents, I'm not sure if some of the comments I've seen over at the Amazon site are on the mark--as far as the feature being projected too fast--but it didn't deter my enjoyment of the film. The score--to my ears--could have been better as well; but again, it didn't take away from another stellar Lon Chaney silent.

Unrequited love is prevalent in pretty much any Chaney film--or at least all that I've seen--and it helps in adding pathos to whatever characters Lon is playing. Here, in "He," Lon is a wronged man who runs away to find solace in the circus life as a put upon clown & ends up getting a rather gruesome revenge on the man who wronged him & loses his life in the process. A very moving scene in the closing reels as we see Lon slip away--and I don't think I'm giving anything away with a movie this old.

At any rate--if you like Lon Chaney--then this is a must see feature of the silent era...

8 stars

If you are looking for horror and shocks, this really isn't the Lon Chaney movie for you. The film is more a tragedy about a decent man who is betrayed and subsequently retreats to the circus--where he plays a clown that is beaten up and mistreated to the delight of the audiences. The film is intended to be critical of human nature and how the misery of others is oddly entertaining, though the scenes where Chaney ran around as the clown being slapped about just didn't seem funny or very magical. It was as if in this character, he just wasn't quite hitting his usual stride. However, in the rest of the film, we have a dandy morality play that still hold up well over time (as do most of Chaney's films). Not great, but certainly very good and well worth a look.

This movie was probably one of the most welcomely disturbing I've ever seen. Let's see......... you got a Silent Movie.....with creepy clowns....a revenge plot where you root for the revenger..........Lon Chaney........massive implied violence & gore.....moral confusion......and again......creepy "old school" clowns..........wow. This combination led me to a new appreciation of silent films & Lon Chaney. Best scene (in my opinion) is when Lon is locking the the bad guys in the room - look at his face, then look at the bad guys absolute expression of confusion/horror.... sorry - 80 years later and actors don't convey emotion much better today.

First silent I watched all the way through. Movie Hipsters.........this is pretty damn hip for 1924....thru.....NOW. "He Who Gets Slapped" will haunt you in a great way.

Plenty of reviews here have provided plot summaries, so I will limit my comments to the things that make this, for me, one of Lon Chaney's finest performances. The direction by Sjostrom is brilliant. Chaney once said that he needed a strong director to curb his tendency to overact, and clearly he got what he needed here. For example, see the scene where Paul is suffering humiliation at the hands of the Baron and his unfaithful wife. After the wife slaps him, an involuntary laugh escapes his lips, which he quickly stifles in horror. It's just a moment, but it tells you all you need to know about where the clown act comes from. Especially touching is the scene where Consuelo (Norma Shearer) performs her daily task of sewing HE's "heart" back into his costume after it has been ripped out during his act. Lon just stands there holding the heart in place for her, watching her like a smitten puppy dog watches the face of its master. You have no doubt how much he adores her. Or, when he watches in vicious glee as the lion does his dirty work for him, only to ask the cat to do him the favor of relieving him of his own pain. It is a subtle and nuanced performance worth seeing again and again.

It's somewhat strange that MGM's first film contains three people who each achieved superstardom: Lon Chaney, whose following is immense, both then and now; John Gilbert, an overlooked and maligned sex symbol who has his own band of followers, of which I am one; and Norma Shearer, an actress unfairly dismissed as the product of clever packaging and promotion by her fiance and, later, husband, Irving Thalberg.

I've always liked her, and in this film, she gives a hint of her future charisma on the screen. The story of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED is quite melodramatic and is handled with European eccentricity (director Sjostrom), but it is still head a shoulders above most of the movies made today. The circus scene when Ford Sterling rips Chaney's heart from his costume and buries it in the sand of the center ring is simply bizarre in its darkness.

Struggling scientist Lon Chaney (as Paul Beaumont) is dedicated to proving his theories on the "origin of mankind." He is lucky to have found a wealthy sponsor in Marc McDermott (as Baron Regnard). In a shocking betrayal, the Baron steals Mr. Chaney's notes and takes credit for his hard work. Chaney can't find comfort with his beloved wife Ruth King (as Maria); apparently, she was the reason the amorous Baron had the couple move into his Paris villa. The sneaky lovers soon slap Cheney out of the mansion, calling him a fool and a clown. Impoverished and alone, Chaney joins the circus. He becomes a clown called "HE (who gets slapped)"...

Audiences love laughing at Chaney, especially when he is slapped. The popular clown is attracted to beautiful bareback rider Norma Shearer (as Consuelo), but she is more interested in her athletic partner, John Gilbert (as Bezano). When the duplicitous Mr. McDermott visits the circus, he decides to pursue Ms. Shearer. Making it easy, greedy father Tully Marshall (as Count Mancini) agrees to sell Shearer to the Baron. Fortunately for all, Chaney gets the last laugh...

The first film produced by the merged MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) studios, "He Who Gets Slapped" turned out to be a spectacular start. Producer Irving Thalberg had three important stars at the starting gate, under the artful direction of Victor Sjostrom (as Victor Seastrom), and with a crew headed by Cedric Gibbons. The relatively subtle (to Chaney) performances of McDermott and Ms. King highlight the early running. Sjostrom gives it a deranged feel, interjecting ants into a ceremonial love-making picnic for Shearer and Gilbert. The ugly audience and manic soundtrack laughter contribute to the mood. A terrific climax appropriately involves the studio's mascot. Chaney is marvelous throughout, as are Mr. Sjostrom and the MGM crew.

********* He Who Gets Slapped (11/9/24) Victor Sjostrom ~ Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert, Marc McDermott

He Who Gets Slapped (1924) is an arty film, beautifully directed with interesting visuals and symbolism, but the aspect which always sticks with me is Lon Chaney's heartbreaking performance as the lovelorn scientist turned clown who sacrifices himself to save the happiness and virtue of aristocrat turned bareback rider Norma Shearer.

The first time I saw this film, I sobbed all through the last fourth. Chaney is just so moving without begging for sympathy or milking the pathos of his character's situation. Shearer and John Gilbert as the innocent young lovers contrast greatly with the worldliness and cynicism of the older characters who hold the couple's fate in their greedy hands.

While director Victor Sjostrom's best Hollywood work was undoubtedly The Wind (1928), I still prefer this film overall. The characters are all reminiscent fairy tale figures, true, but this simplicity is quite powerful.

This might be the best Lon Chaney film ever made. It strikes such an unusual tone. And the use of clown imagery is haunting and evocative of a time long gone. Chaney has many moments that can rip your heart out. His use of the clown smile creates utter tension between humor and pain conveying depths of torn emotion. Norma Shearer is also quite interesting in this film. And the circus imagery is beyond classic.

The only real quibble I have with the Warner Archive edition is that the soundtrack while not wholly inappropriate is a sort of mishmash of various styles. They need to commission a new score and get this a better release. The clarity of the film is great. There are occasional film glitches and spots that also are begging for a nice restoration. But I'm not complaining. I saw this with piano accompaniment in New York once and have been desperate to see it again. I'm grateful that it was finally reissued at all.

MGM's first feature film is this beautifully made, unforgettable silent starring Lon Chaney. He plays a brilliant scientist who is betrayed by his mentor, so he finds happiness as a circus clown, only to be hurt again by the same man. Shearer is great in her supporting role as Chaney's love interest, whom also is loved by Gilbert.

Stepping into the role created on Broadway by Richard Bennett, Lon Chaney stars in this film as a once famous scientist who chose the life of a circus clown out of shame.

At least now I know where the business with James Stewart in The Greatest Show on Earth came from. But whereas Stewart was guilty of a mercy killing, Chaney leaves because he's found that his wife's been two timing him with a titled nobleman.

Years later Chaney is a famous attraction at the circus in Paris and he's falling big time for young Norma Shearer who is a bareback rider and also a member of the nobility who has fallen on hard times. She can't see Chaney no way, no how. She's got her eyes on trapeze artist John Gilbert.

But wouldn't you know it, Marc McDermott that self same cad who took Chaney's wife from him has designs on Shearer. And her dad Tully Marshall who's a lecherous old reprobate himself wants to get back in the chips himself so he's quite willing to pawn off Shearer to the old rake.

Naturally of course Chaney has his plans for the whole lot of them and it's settled in a gruesome manner for the silent screen. The film is highly melodramatic and would be considered camp today, but for the subtle performance of Chaney. For the silent screen, with a minimum of histrionics, Chaney does get you to feel a lot of empathy for the character.

It's one of that fine collection of characters Chaney created when the screen didn't speak and should be seen.

Let me get this straight. A scientist labors years on a project, gets it stolen by his best friend, and is cuckolded as well. His friend slaps him in front of a scientific symposium, and he decides to capitalize on his humiliation by becoming a circus clown whose act is to get slapped after everything he says. It is not only far-fetched, but the act is not funny and would not provoke laughter in the real world.

Having said all that, Lon Chaney remains one of Hollywood's best actors and towers over the cast in this film. Amazing that he is as expressive in makeup as he is out of makeup. He has able backing in Norma Shearer, John Gilbert and Tully Marshall, among others, but it is Chaney who makes the picture work. He is so good he almost does not need dialogue cards.

Victor Seastrom, distinguished Swedish actor-director, handled directing duties (he starred in Bergman's 'Wild Strawberries"in 1957), but is up against it here with a screenplay that defies belief. He added a nice touch with the clown spinning the globe at intervals during the film, suggesting my summary.

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

**** (out of 4)

After being slapped and laughed at by his friend, a scientist (Lon Chaney) decides to join the circus as a performing clown where getting slapped can get him laughs but soon the past starts to catch up with him. This is certainly one of the best Chaney vehicles and in my opinion one of the greatest and strongest films of the silent era. Norma Shearer and John Gilbert are very strong in their roles but there's no denying that this is Chaney's film all the way through. I'd also argue that he gives one of the greatest performances ever caught on film. He works brilliantly as the shamed scientist but once the clown makeup is on he takes the film and performance to another level. The clown routines are wonderfully performed and quite funny and the tragedy that follows is very touching and sad. The film works on every single level due to Chaney. This was the first film made by the then new MGM studio.

In the first film produced by MGM, Paul Beaumont (Lon Chaney) plays a brilliant French scientist who has recently proved his theories on the origins of mankind. Unfortunately, he has entrusted his papers with a corrupt colleague, Baron Regnard. At the anticipated meeting of the French Academy, the Baron thoroughly cheats Beaumont out of his just fame. He states that Beaumont was merely a lab assistant. Beaumont's outburst and subsequent slap on his face by the Baron only gain him the scorn and laughter of the spectators (Some of these folks have the oddest looking faces seen in cinema.). Right after, Beaumont confronts his wife, who he caught kissing the Baron. She ridicules him, calls him a clown, and slaps him in the face. With this phase of his life over, the crushed Beaumont abandons his past and escapes to the circus as the clown HE (who gets slapped). It seems that paying customers cannot stop laughing when they see a clown getting slapped.

Several years pass and HE becomes famous. There is a new circus performer – a bareback horse rider – the lovely Miss Mancini (Norma Shearer), known as Consuelo. She is the only gem left of an Italian family that was formerly rich. The only other family member seems to be her father, a Count. Another rider, a fellow-Italian (Bezano, as played by John Gilbert), is captivated by Consuelo (as is the clown HE, but secretly). Baron Regnard just happens to attend one of the circus shows and also becomes enthralled with Consuelo. He had previously left Beaumont's wife. The Baron negotiates with the Count, who agrees to match his daughter with the Baron ("a rich gentlemen") for a price. Meanwhile, Consuelo has spent the same day at a park with Bezano, and the two, who were in love all along, decide to marry right away. In the meantime, the Clown HE is outraged when he learns of the plans of the Count and the Baron (whom he had previously recognized). HE confronts them in a backstage room, but the Count stabs him with his cane sword, and HE is pushed out of the room. Although wounded, the clown HE is able to position a lion's cage against one closed door of the meeting room (with the adjoining cage door open). At the right time he then walks to the other door and enters the room and locks that same door. Unknowingly the Count opens the other door, where the lion's cage is positioned. The angry lion bursts into the room, and before long both the Count and the Baron are dead. The lion tamer happens to come upon the scene and secures the lion into its cage before it can attack the clown HE. The clown, though, has been bleeding from his wound. Instead of obtaining needed medical attention, HE goes on with his final act, knowing that he has triumphed over the evil machinations of the Baron. In the end the clown HE dies in the circus ring, content that Consuelo will be with Bezano.

I'm not sure about this film. Possibly a work of flawed genius, and possibly one of the first Trash Movies ever. A must-see, either way. If you take nothing more home than the scenes of the clown laughing at a globe or the size of neon sign at the circus where HE grows famous, you've already enriched your life beyond description. The titles say that HE has won by learning to laugh at his misfortune, and by making others laugh at his feigned misfortune, that somehow by knowing that people are so stupid and vile as to laugh at a man getting slapped he has risen above all his past defeats, but at the same time, it's so totally clear that he has never put it behind him, and I don't know if it's pathetic or not when he tries to give his final monologue on the importance of love, and lets himself be slapped to death in the middle of a circus ring before he can finish, because I can never quite let myself feel that HE is pathetic enough himself, I can't quite decide how much of a heart HE has left, and I don't know how to weep for it once it's been buried. It's hard to struggle with that and pay attention to everything beautiful in this movie, and there's a lot. I would like to have seen it with a better soundtrack, because the copy I saw had generic silent-movie-sounding music dubbed over the top of it. Music that paid attention to what was happening, and helped try to speak it would probably have left me with a clearer impression of what the idea was, but c'est la vie. This film is worth a 10 for its inability to fit in with anything I've ever seen, and especially coming from Sjostrom. See it just to keep a copy of it circulating. This one would be a pity to lose.