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)

One of the best silents I have seen

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.