Old Dude, Old Movies - "He Who Gets Slapped"

Lon Chaney was one of the best.

Chaney, who was born 1 April 1883 in Colorado Springs, was one of the most versatile actors ever. He is known for roles in horror films like "The Monster", "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Unholy Three".

Other roles, like in "Quasimodo" and "He Who Gets Slapped" aren't horror in the classic sense, but are more pathos-driven. When you watch what he goes through, you can't help but wonder "what would I do if that was me?"

In "He Who Gets Slapped", Chaney plays Paul Beaumont. Paul is a scientist, grinding away at his research in a lonely laboratory. Money is tight, so he takes on a benefactor (Baron Regnard, by Marc McDermott) who offers financial support. The two are shown as friends, but the Baron is more interested in Paul's alluring wife Maria (Ruth King) and the glory to be derived from Paul's work.

Soon the day comes when Paul feels his work is ready for academic review. If successful, Paul will be rich and influential. However, the Baron betrays Paul, with an assist from Marie. It seems Marie and the Baron are in the midst of a torrid affair, and Marie provides the means for the Baron to undermine Paul's work. Paul is left a broken man, a man without hope. He walks away from science and his previous life. Then, the pathos gets turned up another notch.

Paul joins a circus as the titular character. The pain of getting slapped continually distracts him from the pain of his loss. In this new environment, he meets Consuelo (the angelic Norma Shearer), another performer in the same circus. Would Paul dare love again? What of the dashing Bezano (portrayed by a young John Gilbert)? Is Bezano a rival for Consuelo's affection? As if this isn't enough, the Baron shows up in Paul's life again.

This 1924 release, based on a Russian play by Leonid Andreyev, was the first to feature the iconic lion as the mascot of the newly-merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios.

Like so many of Chaney's silent films, the pictures are so vivid and striking. Life in that era was harsh and unforgiving, and the movies reflect that. Happy endings were hard to come by. For many stories told on film in that time, it seemed the best one could hope for was surviving the hardship and heartbreak. There were no "winners", as in the present-day cinematic sense.

I find myself getting more into the world of classic silent film as an antidote to the bathroom humor, car chases and explosions that seem to dominate today's movie product. This movie won't leave you smiling, but it will make you think if you let it.