"He Who Gets Slapped" Review

 

by Daniel White

MGM has always fascinated me as a movie studio. It was known as the "Tiffany Studio" because of the glossy, glamorous and graceful quality of the films it produced. However, when "boy genius" Irving Thalberg was alive, the studio could, on occasion, "take a walk on the wild side." Louis B. Mayer may have been a firm proponent of taste and refinement, but wunderkind Irving had an affinity for the bizarre.

It was during his all too brief tenure at the studio that Lon Chaney's creepy tales of the macabre were released. Not to mention one of the most controversial movies of all time, Freaks (1932), and a personal favorite of mine, 1936's The Devil-Doll. Yes, MGM gave us Grand Hotel, but let's not forget its spasmodic flirtation with the Grand Guignol.

Directed by Victor Seastrom, He Who Gets Slapped (1924) was the first film made for the newly-formed company and it has Thalberg's quirky brand of aestheticism stamped all over it. An original, unusual flick, it is also rather disturbing. A study in masochism, it stars the aforementioned Chaney as a scientist who is ruined by his sponsor, a nefarious baron. Robbed of his life's work and his wife, he decides to join the circus and become a clown. But wait, it gets even weirder. Billed as He - Who Gets Slapped, his schtick as a clown consists of continually and constantly getting slapped by other clowns!

Humiliation as a theme for a film is odd, to say the least. It's a fascinating subject matter, akin to Murnau's The Last Laugh, released the same year. Chaney is amazing. A superb technician with a genius for pathos, his artistry remains unmatched in the history of cinema. Unfortunately, he made only one talkie, so his unique talents will go unnoticed by those who refuse to explore silent cinema. Silly, silly people.

He is ably supported by Norma Shearer and John Gilbert as the young lovers. Both actors were on the verge of super stardom, and by appearing in this prestige picture, the studio gave them the nudge they needed to get there. Of special interest is Shearer. She was not the prettiest gal in Hollywood, nor the most talented, but she was incredibly ambitious. And by marrying Thalberg three years later, she secured herself an unshakable position at MGM.

Irving Thalberg would finally succumb to the heart condition that had plagued him since childhood in 1937. And in a way, MGM would succumb too. Succumb to the blandness and need for conformity that defined Mayer. It's not for nothing that Dorothy Parker would refer to the studio as Metro Goldwyn Merde! Instead of Chaney and Tod Browning, there would be an endless parade of Andy Hardy sagas and Esther Williams swim-fests. Of course, enjoyable, exciting, and entertaining films would be produced, but nothing quite as quirky as when Irving Thalberg was kicking around.

He Who Gets Slapped is available on YouTube.