Premise: A failed scientist punishes himself by becoming a circus clown whose act's mainstay is uttering platitudes, and then getting slapped for it. He falls in love with an innocent young girl who adores him, but of course doesn't take him seriously as she is, of course, in love with her dashing young partner. While unbeknown st to her, she has been, of course, promised in marriage to an evil lascivious baron.
A film custom made for all of us who hate clowns and find their appearance scary in itself. Chaney's HE is a gentle but tormented and slightly twisted character who in the end is pushed to retribution via horrifying measures. The plot and theme are ones we see often in old cinema, but the treatment here is better than average. The whole clown/circus thing, is given maxim weirdness, both in content and shot composition. In particular, the scene break shots which attempt to offer metaphors for the action, IE the clown holding a spinning globe, kinda get under your skin. The bizarre self chastisement routine of the main character, is an elaborate well thought out production that is unsettling to say the least. Chaney was one of a kind, and watching his very old films I think really offer us a glimpse into the collective psyche of past generations.
A film custom made for all of us who hate clowns and find their appearance scary in itself. Chaney's HE is a gentle but tormented and slightly twisted character who in the end is pushed to retribution via horrifying measures. The plot and theme are ones we see often in old cinema, but the treatment here is better than average. The whole clown/circus thing, is given maxim weirdness, both in content and shot composition. In particular, the scene break shots which attempt to offer metaphors for the action, IE the clown holding a spinning globe, kinda get under your skin. The bizarre self chastisement routine of the main character, is an elaborate well thought out production that is unsettling to say the least. Chaney was one of a kind, and watching his very old films I think really offer us a glimpse into the collective psyche of past generations.