Max Linder

If you ask a cinephile nowadays about the greatest silent comedians, you will get to hear the usual triumvirate, with probably a few lesser known (and respected) artists mentioned along the way (e.g. Fatty Arbuckle or Harry Langdon). But what about all of the others who worked during the 10s and 20s around the globe? Max Linder was one of them, and while he initially started out in France, he completed his last films in the United States. Nevertheless he is rarely mentioned and his films are poorly distributed. Maybe something of this has to do with his early death (double suicide with his wife in 1925), and the few feature films he made (which were not successfull), but before WWI he was one of the best-known and most loved actors in the world. He not only acted, but later also scripted and directed his films, so one can put him on the same line as Chaplin and Keaton as an "auteur" in the best sense of the word. Chaplin himself was a big admirer, and said that he had learned a lot from Linder - he certainly borrowed a few gags for his own films, as you can see in comparison.

Although the few shorts I've seen by Linder weren't outstanding, as they are more charming than funny, you have to consider the time they were made in. Comparing them to some other classics from before WWI (e.g. Karl Valentin's shorts from Germany), I would say they are on about the same level. Of course also important to mention is that I have only seen a friction of over one hundred shorts, so my knowledge is very limited. As was the case with most comedians, many were shot at a quick pace and with a low budget. But I don't want to sound like I am making apologies, as they definitely are worth seeing, not only from a historical perspective, but as singular films on their own terms. But you must forgive me if I don't cite all of the titles of the shorts I've seen.

Nevertheless far better work was to come with his feature length comedies. Seven Years Bad Luck (1921) can be put alongside any slapstick film of the period, be it Loyd's Keaton's or Chaplin's. There are hilarious moments in a film that suffers a bit from the direction (it was Linder's first feature film) and him "overacting" in some scenes (but maybe that's just my opinion...) What is fascinating, is the fact that the film as it is has enough material and potential for a much longer running-time. A thing one can rarely say about silent comedies, as I usually find most to have been made out of material that would have been more effective as a short. Even better is his next film, The Three Must-Get-Theres (1922), which is a parody of Fairbanks' 1921 version of the famous Alexandre Dumas novel. What distinguishes this production from most contemporary films was some gross humor that caught me by surprise, as it isn't common in american comedies from the 20s. One could go as far as calling some scenes of it grotesque, but directed with enough dry humor and panache to make them work exquisitely. But what really struck me while watching these two films, is that compared to most comedies or even Fairbanks' films from the 20s, they are much more fast-paced, have a tighter script, and a "gag-rate" that by far exceeds that of any other film from this period I've seen. At times it's like watching a Zucker-production like The Naked Gun series, with all the stuff that is going on at the fringes. One can clearly see that Linder's films are a labor of love, and have a creative spark and a personal charm that is often missing in big budget productions.

As far as i know he only made one more feature-film under his direction (Be my wife in 1923) from which only a 13min. fragment seems to exist. But even this fragment on its own is so hilarious, that it stands amongst the best silent comedy you will ever get to see. I dare say that even if only this fragment would exist out of all of his films today, he would have to be mentioned as an exceptional comedian. This time the direction is also without flaws, the timing of the gags being perfect most of the times. Maybe the whole film loses somethinbg of it through its pacing, but as it is we will probably never know.

As for now, we have enough material from Max Linder which has survived to give him the attention and the place in film history he deserves. Why this hasn't happened yet, remains a mystery to be unraveled.