Spite Marriage (1929) User Reviews

Keaton's athleticism would be enough

[morrisonhimself · 8/10 · 26 December 2004]

Though not of the quality of "The General," an almost perfect movie, "Spite Marriage" is worth watching both for the fun and for the historical value of its being Keaton's last silent.

Co-star Dorothy Sebastian deserves a medal both for her performance and for putting up with being knocked about so.

So many of Keaton's leading ladies get treated very physically, surely part of the auditions was a test of their good-natured sportsmanship -- and probably their physical conditioning, too.

Dorothy Sebastian's character is not very sympathetic at first, but she learns, and when she has to assist in her own rescue, she is adorable, cute as the proverbial button.

Keaton, though, is the real reason to watch, this or almost everything else he is in.

He ranks among the top of the certifiable geniuses of motion picture making, with an unfailing sense of timing, with uncanny physical control, and with an understanding of what was (and is) funny that the studio bosses of his latter career should have paid attention to.

Even with the worst material, with which he was saddled in so many of his talkies, Keaton and his abilities and talents still stand out, are still memorable.

Buster Keaton will deserve our awe forever.

Generally funny, but not up to his earlier high standards

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 September 2007]

This was the last silent film starring Buster Keaton, though the film does have sound effects and music--something MGM did to many film in the period between the silents and the full conversion over to sound films. While it is very watchable (particularly to Keaton fans), it is a far cry from his earlier films mostly due to Keaton's ill-fated decision to abandon an independent career (which had resulted in great films such as THE GENERAL and STEAMBOAT BILL JUNIOR) to sign on with MGM Studios. The resulting MGM films were at first pretty good (though noticeably inferior to the independent films). However, as time passed, the films became god-awful messes that are barely watchable and often make Keaton fans cry.

Fortunately, while this IS an MGM-produced film, it is much better than most. The difference between the quality of this film and his next (FREE AND EASY) is dramatic--mostly because by the time FREE AND EASY came along, Keaton was only an actor and had no say in the creative process. This was insane, but the butt-heads at MGM wanted it this way. This was akin to hiring Picasso but only letting him do clown paintings!! SPITE MARRIAGE consists of three distinct sections and each are quite different in quality. The first consists of Keaton slavishly longing for a stage actress who has no idea that he even exists. While parts of this are very funny, the film oddly relies way too much on pathos compared to Keaton's other works--this was more Chaplin's style but now MGM was pushing Keaton this direction. I'd say this part of the movie would merit a score of 7. The second consists of when Keaton dates and then marries this selfish actress. The film grinds to a comedic halt and the highlight, so to speak, is when he spends what seems like an eternity to stick his drunk wife in bed. This was tedious and terribly unfunny--earning a score of 3. The final segment of the film was when Keaton oddly went out to sea. How this all was arranged was very silly and contrived, but once he was there the film finally showed the earlier Keaton magic--with amazing stunts like you'd expect in a Keaton film. How much of this was actually Keaton is debatable, as MGM was worried he'd get killed doing these dangerous stunts--even though Keaton was a master at this (as seen in STEAMBOAT BILL JUNIOR). Because the film's timing and laughs were impeccable, I'd give the final portion a score of 10--thus ending the movie on a very high note. Overall, averaging it all together, the film earns a 7.

Had Keaton continued to make movies of the quality of SPITE MARRIAGE, his career at MGM would have no-doubt flourished for many years, as the film comes very close to earning a score of 8 and is very watchable.

Buster's last stand

[mjneu59 · 8/10 · 4 January 2011]

Buster Keaton's last silent comedy was a change of pace from his earlier, independent features, lacking many of his distinctive idiosyncrasies but adding a refreshingly modern love interest with determined, temperamental actress Trilby Drew (Dorothy Sebastian), who unlike most silent film heroines gets angry, gets drunk, and throws a few well-timed temper tantrums. Because it's a corporate comedy from the MGM assembly line the film can be a bit plot-heavy at times, but even so allows room for some now classic routines: a Civil War stage melodrama sabotaged by Buster's accident-prone performance; Buster attempting to put his dead-drunk bride to bed; and a heroic chase and rescue aboard an underworld yacht. If Keaton was now performing gags that might have been suited to anyone (many seem Chaplin-inspired), at least he was doing so with his usual grace and deadpan precision, and the film highlighted a more confidant, aggressive side to his personality rarely seen in his earlier films.

Buster's last silent

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 23 January 2019]

After talking pictures came out, there was a brief experiment with sound, which would logically make sense, but to illogical movie audiences didn't catch on. There are a few movies out there that attempted to ease audiences into talking pictures by creating a silent movie with sound effects, like applause, laughter, crashes, honking horns, etc. The change from silents to talkies was overwhelming, and audiences wanted it all! Why am I giving you this history lesson? Because Spite Marriage, Buster Keaton's last silent film, was a silent picture with sound.

In this one, he plays a hapless Romeo, devoted to stage actress Dorothy Sebastian. He sees her every performance and brings her bouquets of roses. The only trouble is Dorothy's in love with her costar; but when he marries someone else, she gets even by marrying Buster out of spite. The story jumps around quite a bit, so you might think you're seeing three movies in one. The first part of the film takes place in the theater, in the second part, Buster falls in with a crowd of gangsters, and in the final third, Buster and Dorothy are the only survivors on a sinking ship. While it might seem random, you won't have time to question it because you'll be mesmerized by Buster's incredible stunt work. He hangs from a rope on the mast, repeatedly gets thrown overboard only to catch himself on the boom and leap back on deck, and even falls into the sail and has to pull himself back up. Dorothy is a real trouper, participating in many of his stunts and gags, including the famous bedroom skit, recreated later by Buster and his wife onstage and by Donald O'Connor and Ann Blythe in The Buster Keaton Story. This movie feels like a very fond farewell to Buster Keaton's silent pictures, with all the elements of his famous films thrown together: a lovesick hero, dangerous stunts, funny gags, and a ship. Really the only thing missing is a train, but you can find one in almost every other of his movies.

Presage of things to come?

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 7/10 · 8 March 2006]

Well, it had to happen some time; in the course of a year's experience at MGM, Buster Keaton's features have finally left youth behind, and left it hard and fast. In "The Cameraman" his character was still the dreamy boy -- but that famous angular face has filled out into a sculpted adult mask, alabaster assuming the opaque authority of marble; no longer playing a college student but a nervy man in his thirties, this is the mature Keaton who will become familiar from the publicity material of the new decade.

He has abruptly grown into those strong bones at last. The alteration is not unbecoming, but it's undoubtedly somewhat marked.

As to why, precisely, I found myself speculating so extensively during the first half of the film on the changes in Keaton's personal appearance... I'm afraid it was because I didn't find it very funny.

The opening scenes have their moments, certainly. Dorothy Sebastian gets good material and can act, and so can Keaton -- when he's allowed. But too much of the humour I found simply to be farcical clowning: in an earlier film, the routine with the hats, for example, might have lasted a second or so for a throwaway laugh, but here it's milked far beyond what it can bear, and much of the other business I felt to be equally forced. There are moments that fly past with Keaton's old lightness of touch, such as the revelation of the true source of his elegant clothing, but there seems to be a general feeling that if a joke is worth doing once, it is worth labouring to death.

The sequence in which 'Elmer' disrupts the performance of the Civil War melodrama was, for me, more a matter of cringing than laughter; it's only fair to say that these sentiments were very definitely not shared by those in the seats nearby, and it may well just be a case of my aversion to the destructive nature of slapstick humour. But what I love about Keaton isn't his ability to fall over things and knock things down -- any comic worth his salt can do that -- it's the ingenuity and resourceful illogic of his invention at its best, and there's precious little of that on show here.

Fortunately, matters improve thereafter, as he is allowed a little more resource. Miss Sebastian shines during the restaurant scene, with Buster as second fiddle, and he is able to advance his relationship with his 'wife' during this section of the film into something a little more complex than fatuous knock-kneed idolatry. I have to confess that I didn't find the scene where he tries endlessly to put her to bed to be as classic as it's apparently held, although I did appreciate his typically Keatonesque solution to the chair problem, but the film definitely picks up from around this point.

The real enjoyment for me, however, only started when Elmer and the girl are left alone on the yacht together; it's almost as if a script that has been written to date by somebody else is taken over by an inspiration that's characteristically Keaton's, as both he and his character rise to the occasion. It occurs to me in passing to wonder if isolation of the filming crew aboard the yacht could possibly have helped foil studio interference..? But maybe it's simply that this is the Keaton we're used to, coming up with wonderfully complex schemes, disabling an entire crew of villains one by one or launching himself intrepidly into the unknown mysteries of the rigging. I was struck by the difference in tone between the sympathetic comedy of this section, where he tries to reduce sail with the help of the girl and the handicap of their joint ignorance, and the earlier, clumsy, 'varnishing' sequence, in which he is purely inept and we are expected to find it funny.

If the 'adrift alone' theme echoes "The Navigator", then the final knock-down fight inevitably recalls "Battling Butler"; as in that film, Keaton produces not only an athletic but a well-acted confrontation, as Elmer faces up to an opponent tall enough and strong enough to hold him ineffectual at arm's-length... armed only with bantam courage, and the luck and resolve that enable him to survive and keep coming back for more even as he visibly tires. And the payoff in the final line of this scene repaid, for me, all the clumsy physical clowning of the stage scenes earlier! (I must add that as a satire on overwrought drama, I actually find the depiction itself of the play "Carolina" quite funny; it's Buster's distinctly unsubtle involvement that grates on me so.)

At the start of "Spite Marriage", I'd have been hard put to rate it above a wavering 5 or 6, with the low comedy of scenes such as the riding encounter definitely toward the low end of that scale. I was pleasantly surprised to find it veering upwards as it went on, into the territory of 7 or above, and the ending I'd generally rate at an 8. (The return of the hat gag, I have to say, was not to my taste!) However, I cannot in all conscience give the film as a whole a ranking above about seven on my personal scale: worth watching, worth recommending to others, but not really worth going through discomfort or inconvenience to see.

Edit: re-watching this film with the original soundtrack (the love theme, "I'm Afraid of You", is certainly appropriate!), I'm impressed above all by Dorothy Sebastian's performance; now that I've seen his later work, Keaton's performance and material here actually reminds me more of his sound-era pictures. You may not be able to hear his voice, but you can certainly see a lot of the same mannerisms appearing...

Should be canonised as a true Buster Keaton film; this one has his signature.

[Ben_Cheshire · 7/10 · 11 May 2015]

It has the name of his collaborator on the Director's credit, but this film has Buster's signature all over it. Despite being the final silent feature directed by (or "directed" by, if MGM prefers) this film has gotten overlooked. This happened because of rights issues more than anything else; along with The Cameraman and Free and Easy, it is owned by MGM, so it has ended up not being canonised along with the other Keaton films that always get collected together by Kino or Masters of Cinema or such-like.

Compared to Parlor Bedroom and Bath, this is The General. It has that same eloquence and poetry as Buster's earlier films, with the main differences being 1) no pork pie hat and 2) facial expressions. It is seriously strange to see Buster pulling faces, even mugging a little bit. Its still quite funny when he does it, and it remains classy, unlike in the talking pictures, but still... So many films without a single expression...

The best bit is the sequence near the end when Buster's boat is boarded by pirates, there's a hilarious sequence where the girl distracts the pirates and Buster bonks them on the head with those sugarglass bottles they used in silent films. Had me laughing out loud a few times and won me over by the end.

7/10

Another reason Keaton was the greatest comedian of the 20s!

[Edisone · 9/10 · 27 December 2004]

The story isn't much, but Buster packs every scene with so many gags that you don't mind. It's easy to see why he was so successful, until MGM stuck him with stories that were totally unsuitable.

The original score is fantastic, here - it includes a great deal of popular music and makes commentary on the situations, but the meaning will be lost on most modern viewers (I collect records from that period, so I recognize most all of it); even so, it moves the action right along and gives us a rare chance to experience a silent film just as it was presented to contemporary audiences. No cheesy piano accompaniment, here! The sound effects are well done, and used sparingly.

The shipboard scenes could have been trimmed a bit; they seem to drag. Otherwise, time flies during this movie - you won't regret watching it! Just compare it with the average sound 'comedy' which Hollywood produced until 1932 or so, and you'll realize how they lost the art of making good films for a while. It's a crime that Keaton wasn't given the chance to produce his own talkies, because he might have changed the whole concept of what made a good SOUND comedy! It's a wonder that audiences didn't rebel against the boring, static, yawnful talk-fests that early sound comedies became; maybe the novelty of Talkies really WAS enough to bring them into the theaters.

I'd haven given this a 10, except for the draggy ship scenes - but the ending is satisfyingly Keatonesque!

Problematic Buster, But Still Fine

[slokes · 7/10 · 1 March 2014]

"Spite Marriage" is a dividing line for Buster Keaton, the film where he began to lose control of his career. It's still a delightful movie with innovative comedy and a moving storyline, once you get past the odd and ill-fitting retooling of Buster's screen image in the first act.

Elmer Gantry (Keaton) runs a laundry, which allows him plenty of time and access to fine clothes for stalking in the guise of a rich suitor stage star Trilby Drew (Dorothy Sebastian). Trilby attaches herself to fellow star player Lionel Benmore (Edward Earle), but when Benmore takes up with a society beauty, Trilby decides to marry Elmer to show him up, to her later regret.

"Spite Marriage" is Keaton's last silent comedy (except for a short called "The Railrodder" he made near the end of his career). It's better than several of the features he made before being picked up by MGM the year before, specifically "College," "Go West," "Three Ages," and "The Saphead." But it falls short of classic Buster, often because of the role played by Buster himself.

For almost all of the first 30 minutes, viewers have to adjust to the novel notion of Buster the idiot. After an abrupt opening, we see Buster fumbling around on horseback, wiggling lovelorn in his seat as Trilby performs on stage, and finally sneaking on stage to make a mess of the show. It is funny, but in a frustrating, jerky way.

Too often the film calls attention to Buster's fish-out-of-water character, particularly when he joins the cast and stumbles over assorted props, to the annoying amusement of the audience. In his earlier films, Buster was a stoic victim of mayhem, rather than producing it himself. This made the comedy work without lessening the character. Here, you can't help but emphasize with the theatrical agent who moans: "Shoot him! They'll think it's part of the act!"

There are also odd bits of sympathy trolling. We see him bring her a stuffed dog doll with a tear running down one eye. After he discovers Trilby has left him, the camera lingers on the doll one last time, as an overt nod to Elmer's pitiful state. It's like something out of Harry Langdon.

But there are compensations throughout the early part. Trilby's play, "Carolina," is a wonderful send-up of theatrical conventions. When Lionel makes his entrance as a wounded fugitive, he stops to acknowledge the applause. "A scratch is nothing to a Southern gentleman," he tells Trilby's character, a goofy line that gets a nifty callback late in the film.

Sebastian is a big part of why "Spite Marriage" works as well as it does. For the first time, I watched a Keaton feature not pining for Sybil Seely. Trilby is no gentle flower, but rather a scheming, petty character who uses Elmer's affection for her own ends. As an ex-spite boyfriend, I could relate to this. Most important, she is very funny, especially in a scene in a speakeasy where she gets drunk and loses her cool when she sees Lionel with his new babe. It's a great use of Buster's expressionless manner by director Edward Sedgwick and the MGM team, playing it off Sebastian's scowling and histrionics. She also takes a fall as well as Buster, which helps.

The movie's most famous scene uses her athleticism to splendid effect, where he tries to put his unconscious bride to bed. He tries to sit her on a chair, only to have her roll off. As other reviewers here note, it's easy to ignore the effort she must put forth, keeping Buster hopping without apparently moving a muscle.

The finale, aboard a yacht, is the film's best sequence. Ironically, as historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance note in their helpful DVD commentary, this was one part of the movie Buster didn't want to do, probably concerned he was repeating "The Navigator." But "Spite Marriage" takes the same idea in different directions, and most importantly, ramps up the laughter while giving us Buster in take-charge form. A key bit of business involves his wearing a captain's hat, which seems to signal a sense of newfound authority for the performer.

Alas, it was not to be. Buster's subsequent work for MGM, while quite profitable, would run the gamut from weak to awful, with Buster himself anything but in charge. "Spite Marriage," with its misplaced emphasis on poor, stupid Elmer, would inaugurate this trend, but it's more of a piece with his days as silent comedy's master clown. Keep this in mind, and you will have a good time.

Hearty recommendation of a little seen film

[jimmyooo · 10/10 · 23 November 1998]

Although it is not a masterpiece in a league with "The General" or "The Navigator", "Spite Marriage" does contains several of the funniest moments Buster Keaton ever committed to film. I find that this picture serves as an ideal introduction to Keaton for my friends who are not fans of silent pictures. One such friend commented after viewing it, that it was "the most consistently hilarious movie he had ever seen." Buster Keaton's final silent picture, it contains a vintage Vitaphone musical setting.

Not his best, but still lovable and a joy to watch

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 17 December 2017]

This film is certainly not Buster Keaton's best work, though that's a very high bar. The plot meanders and lacks the charm and spontaneity we love from him. It too often relies on simple pratfalls, and there is not enough time devoted to his playful antics or wild stunts. The middle of the picture in particular is slow, and co-star Dorothy Sebastian acting drunk shows just how hard it is to do physical comedy that is sophisticated and funny, or to create something out of nothing, as Keaton so often does.

With all of that said, 'Spite Marriage' has a 34-year-old Buster Keaton still in his prime, and some pretty clever scenes. He gets enlisted into a stage play in the first part, and after botching up his make-up while another actor puts his on professionally, proceeds to foul up the production in various funny ways. As he tries to elude those chasing him afterwards, he does a rapid change into a top hat and tails that is both entertaining and shows off his muscular body. Later in the film, he does some impressive stuntwork on a yacht, at one point getting thrown off, and then as the yacht goes by quickly, catches a small boat trailing behind and hauls himself into it. Throughout the movie, he's lovable and a joy to watch. This was Keaton's last silent picture, and as the 1930's would not be kind to him, it marks a transition for him. If you can avoid comparing it to his masterpieces (which I know is tough!), you'll probably find it's well worth watching.

The last Keaton silent

[MissSimonetta · 8/10 · 16 December 2012]

I almost wish Spite Marriage were a talkie. The Cameraman (1928) would have made a spectacular finale to Keaton's silent career and compared to the awful Free and Easy (1930) this would have been a good debut into the sound medium. Now don't get me wrong, Spite Marriage is not a terrible film: it's funny, but one can already sense the Keaton touch is starting to fade. The dreadful characteristics which permeate the talkies Keaton appeared in during the 1930s have begun to emerge, such as more complicated stories, a lack of Buster doing awesome stunts, and the bumbling "Elmer" character whose intelligence is questionable.

The plot is rather convoluted and could have been simpler. It starts out with a dry cleaner named Elmer pining after a beautiful stage actress named Trilby Drew. Unfortunately for him, she's not a likable person. She's in love with her male co-star, but he's left her for a pretty society girl. Trilby takes notice of Elmer, who often leaves her flowers backstage and follows her around, and proposes marriage to him in the hopes of arousing her ex's jealousy. Of course, he says yes; however, their marriage is disappointing for Elmer from the start: Trilby kicks him out of bed on their wedding night and leaves him the next day without a word once she learns that being married to a nobody could ruin her reputation. After a series of contrived events, Elmer and Trilby end up alone on the same yacht, lost in the middle of the ocean. Criminals attack the ship, leaving it up to Elmer to defend Trilby's virtue and save the day.

Dorothy Sebastian ranks with Kathryn McGuire and Sybil Seely as one of my favorite Keaton leading ladies. In addition to being fun to watch, she and Buster have wonderful chemistry, no doubt due to their off-screen love affair which was going on during this time. Along with the love interests in College (1927) and Cops (1922), she's one of the colder leading ladies in the Keaton canon, maybe even the coldest. She doesn't expect Elmer to meet a high standard or change himself, she just flat out uses him to make her actor boyfriend jealous when he chases another woman and then casts him aside. When she leaves him in the middle of the picture, the Elmer character actually gets bitter about it and doesn't forgive her right away, which I found rather interesting.

While the comedy is hit and miss, there are some great bits, particularly the scene where Buster has to put a drunken Sebastian to bed. It's just wonderful. It's not the film I would have wanted as the finale to Keaton's golden age, but it's not so bad.

The final Keaton film to feature any quality.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 7/10 · 3 August 2017]

"Spite Marriage" was the final film of any quality from comedian Buster Keaton. His decline would soon be solidified by the rubbish with which he was lumbered. Even so, "Spite Marriage" has some very good scenes. The scene involving the ruining of the theatre production about the American Civil War by Buster is very funny. The front office at "M.G.M" were unhappy about their new star performing any more dangerous stunts. The scene where he is hoisted at the top of the mast on that pleasure boat, was the last stunt as far as the studio were concerned. "Spite Marriage" is technically a silent picture but there are some sound effects included. A very good film overall.

Very Disappointing

[prionboy · 5/10 · 15 May 2000]

I've seen all of Buster Keaton's silent films (several times) and this is by far the worst. It has lost almost all of the charm of his independent work. The Keaton character is still endearing, but unfortunately the plot is tired and uninteresting and the humorous moments are few and far between. I'm shocked that anyone would rate the "bed" scene in this film with his finer moments in Our Hospitality, Sherlock Jr., The General, or Steamboat Bill Jr. Clearly Buster did not have the controlling hand in this film because it has almost no heart. It struck me as sad to see the normally prideful Buster sacrificing his dignity for a shallow, obnoxious woman who certainly did not deserve his attention. Her character was not developed enough that the audience can understand why Buster's character was so captivated by her or why we should care about their "relationship". This film comes across as a more extravagant "big studio" effort with more money put into it than thought or attention to detail. I even found the Vitaphone soundtrack to be an annoying accompaniment compared to the delightful musical scores which accompany the Kino releases of Keaton's independent work. It's interesting to imagine what it would have been like if Keaton had been given complete creative control and the sound equipment he had requested.

Worth Watching, & Has Some Very Good Sequences

[Snow Leopard · 22 November 2002]

This isn't bad at all, as long as you don't hold it up to the standard that Keaton set in the features he made on his own. It has some very good sequences that make up for the more routine stretches, and it shows enough of Buster's comic genius to be worthwhile. Even when the gags are not especially creative, he gets as much mileage out of them as anyone could have.

The premise of the "Spite Marriage" is rather flimsy at best, and in other hands it probably would not have been even this good. It actually starts out pretty well, as the first part moves at a good pace, and includes a very good sequence with Buster's hapless character trying to take part in a play. It begins to peter out in the middle, though, as the premise begins to wear thin. For some reason, the bedroom sequence from this portion seems to be the best-remembered portion of the movie, but it really isn't one of the better parts of the film at all. But things pick up again in the last part, when the story takes a couple of unexpected turns, and the comedy also improves.

To be sure, it is a shame that Keaton was forced into the studio mold in pictures like this. It worked for many, but not for a unique talent like Buster. Still, at least this time the result is a generally entertaining movie with more than enough laughs to make it worth watching for anyone who enjoys silent comedies.

Marriage on the Rocks

[sol- · 6/10 · 23 September 2017]

Disappointed to learn that his favourite stage actress only married him on a drunken whim, a humble dry cleaner eventually gets the opportunity to truly win over his wife's heart in this Buster Keaton silent comedy. Not often cited as one of Keaton's better films, 'Spite Marriage' has a somewhat haphazard plot built on a series of unlikely coincidences that conveniently set up the protagonist to save the day. Keaton himself is as charming and likable as ever though and there are several amusing moments early on as he causes chaos when cast in his future wife's latest play. Keaton's best stunts and gags come out in the final third though with some great moments as he ends up teaming up with the stage actress to get out of a sticky situation. Interestingly enough, Keaton reportedly did not want the film to be a silent feature, but was overruled; in its current form, the movie features applause sound effects but otherwise just music like most silent films. It is, however, hard to imagine 'Spite Marriage' working better with audible dialogue. Keaton's comedy style is of course very physical and here he manages to convey quite a bit of emotion through looks and stares alone.

More Studio, less Spontaneous, but still a lot of Keaton

[sno-smari-m · 7/10 · 19 July 2011]

It is true that by the time SPITE MARRIAGE was released in 1929, Buster Keaton had already made just about all of his best work, and this film may be said to mark the beginning of a fast decline, as the artist Keaton was forced into the role of an ordinary, hired actor at MGM. Even so, in this last silent film of his, he still managed to display the material with enough of the former Keaton Magic that it stands out, in retrospect, as a worthy swan song. The story is nothing spectacular: Buster (here named "Elmer" for the first time) is in love with stage actress Trilby Drew (Dorothy Sebastian), and regards it as a truism to see every single one of her appearances in an ongoing Civil War drama. Several events, notably Buster's brief and utterly unsuccessful stint as a stand-in actor, leads the two to marriage. Unbeknownst to our hero, however, this is only Trilby's way of getting a revenge on her boyfriend, who has suddenly become engaged to someone else. A "Spite Marriage" if ever there was one. Expectedly, Trilby is soon forced by her manager to leave Buster. Several more odd coincidences lead up to Buster and Trilby being reunited alone on a yatch, however, where our hero is finally given opportunity to demonstrate that he really is a man, as he struggles to beat up a group of boot-leggers who take command over the yatch.

Like his first film at MGM, THE CAMERAMAN, SPITE MARRIAGE was based on a carefully prepared script, written by employees at MGM who only vaguely, one would imagine, followed Keaton's original story synopsis. This must have been frustrating to the comedian, whose former films (including classics such as OUR HOSPITALITY and THE GENERAL) had never been "written" in a literal sense, but were the results of story conferences with trusted and experienced gag-men such as Clyde Bruckman, with Keaton always having the final say. As a result, SPITE MARRIAGE has a sort of "studio feel" to it, which is probably its most unfortunate aspect; it doesn't really feel spontaneously playful in the way Keaton's previous work had. One of the most pleasing aspects with films such as OUR HOSPITALITY is that the story appears to be well thought out, following traditional dramaturgy rules as much as required for in order to make an engaging story, but keeping enough open room for improvisation that it doesn't feel too revealingly organized. By contrast, SPITE MARRIAGE appears to follow an A-B-C-D-formula which seldom suits comedy well.

The good news is that Keaton at this point had still not given up. Although he sometimes had to fight hard for it, he convinced his producers to keep in some of the material which they felt was inappropriate. The best example of this is the sequence where newlyweds Buster and Trilby arrive at their hotel suit, the lady being dead drunk. Keaton is transformed into his former, imaginative self as he struggles to get the unconscious lady to bed. The bit was largely, if not completely improvised, and remains the most memorable part of the film. Keaton would return to the sequence many times later, including at least one time on TV in the 1950's with his wife Eleanor. Other highlights include the final part with Keaton outwitting the dangerous boot-leggers; I name that sequence with some hesitancy, as Keaton himself reportedly fought to have it omitted, feeling that a simpler ending would be more fitting. However, there's no way of getting around that he did the best he could out of the material.

As Keaton's swan song in silent films, SPITE MARRIAGE all in all remains a worthy finale. Notably, Keaton had in fact been eager to make it a talkie, but MGM refused (which, if we take a look at the majority of his soon-to-be talking films at said studio, we should probably be grateful for). For all the creative freedom he had now lost, what we tend to forget is that Keaton even in his heyday was never independent to the same degree which Chaplin and Harold Lloyd were. He occasionally had to appear in productions he didn't totally believe in himself even in those years, such as COLLEGE; I rank SPITE MARRIAGE to be somewhere on the same level as these. Finally, Dorothy Sebastian is definitely worthy of a mention as his leading lady in this film, being more believable and complex than most of Keaton's former leading ladies.

some good Buster Keaton

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 October 2016]

Elmer (Buster Keaton) is a big fan of stage actress Trilby Drew. He's always around and doesn't miss a performance. Trilby gets jealous when her leading man boyfriend Lionel Benmore starts flirting with blonde socialite Ethyl Norcrosse. When Ethyl claims to be engaged to Lionel, Tribly impulsively marries the dry cleaner Elmer out of spite. Tribly continues to try to get Lionel jealous. Her manager tells Elmer that she wants out of the marriage. Elmer leaves and accidentally gets caught up with bootleggers. He gets lost at sea and ends up on a yacht as part of the crew. It turns out that Trilby and Lionel are on board together.

This is supposedly the last silent film of Buster Keaton. It could have been made with dialogue. Nevertheless, this is still good Buster Keaton. He has a few good slapstick stunt scenes. Keaton bumbling chaos on stage is loads of fun. Him smashing bottles on the criminals is a fun gag. His stunts on the yacht are impressive. The only drawback is that I don't like Trilby. It would be nice to have a more appealing leading lady.

Funny not spite

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 13 February 2021]

Buster Keaton - if you are aware of that name and I reckon your are at least a little bit, you are also aware of his legacy. He is named often when it comes to best comedians of all time. And no matter what your point of view here is (you may be a Chaplin guy or be more into the group dynamic like Marx Brothers or Stooges or something else), you can't deny that he was a genius in front of the camera ... but also apparently behind the camera. No pun intended here.

I'm not entirely sure of the timeline, but this might be the last silent movie Buster Keaton did (there is a music track of course, but no spoken dialog). Whatever the case this is another showcase of how funny Buster could be ... physically. And he did a lot of his own stunts - kind of like a Jackie Chan did way later and someone many may recognize more nowadays. Not judging either way and you shouldn't either. No one can know everyone. Although as far as I know, Jackie refers to Buster Keaton as an inspiration. And talking about inspiration: this movie was remade a couple of decades later with another actor - in that case as a "talky"(so spoken dialog and not cards with words every now and then). Which shows the impact Buster and his movies had .. the fact that The Camera Man was used by MGM to show others how comedies should be and feel like ... says more than a thousand words. The ending here may feel a bit put upon - the last 10 minutes that is, but it still works overall

...and Metro killed "Pamplinas"

[MegaSuperstar · 6/10 · 8 July 2017]

Buster Keaton (nicknamed Pamplinas and Cara de palo -stone face in Spain) was a silent movie actor, director and screenwriter who made many great films such as the General or Steamboat Bill. But in 1928 he signed with MGM. That was the beginning of the end. Talkies had just begun and the studio simply did not know what to do with him. Trying to change his character into a new different one they decided to stop Keaton having full control on films, leading him to disaster. This picture is an example of this and its Spanish title "El comparsa" (the yes man in one of its connotations) becomes poignantly right: Keaton's character has no longer the charm nor the energy that he had in his previous films; it is poorly defined and this affects the entire movie, leading to a series of more or less fortunate sketches with little link plot between them. And yet, it is still a good Keaton movie with good scenes here and there (i.e. Buster trying to put her spouse in bed where miss Sebastian shines as the totally drunken spouse) but seemingly it has lost the lust of his yesteryear films. The last part is maybe the best and pure Keaton. It could have been a great film if Metro had only left Keaton leeway.

One of Buster's best!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 15 February 2018]

Copyright 22 April 1929 by Joseph M. Schenck Productions. Released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. New York opening at the Capitol: 24 March 1929. U.S. release: 6 April 1929. 9 reels. 7,047 feet. 78 minutes. (Warner Archive has a 10/10 DVD).

SYNOPSIS: A humble pants-presser (Buster Keaton) falls hopelessly in love with a big star of the stage (Dorothy Sebastian). His chance to get near his idol comes about when one of the players in the production is forced to flee the police and the pants-presser who knows every line in the play (he has seen it 67 times) is induced to take his place. Although the inept fan causes a near disaster on stage, the star takes him under her wing and then marries him to spite her leading man (Edward Earle), who is playing up with a socialite (Leila Hyams). The star soon regrets her hasty marriage, but becomes reconciled to living with her new husband when he pluckily rescues her from a gang of criminals on a seagoing yacht.

NOTES: Keaton's last silent. Although released with a continuous sound-on-film music score and sound effects (including a roar from Metro's trademark lion), there is no spoken dialogue.

COMMENT: Despite the fact that the most screamingly hilarious moments occur early on in the movie during a riotous performance of an old Civil War melodrama, this is one of my favorite Keaton comedies, enhanced by a strong plot line, stylish direction, some wonderfully comic, acrobatic routines from Buster, and a great support cast.

You owe it to your funnybone to see our Buster managing to inadvertently wreak havoc, both on stage and off. I'd rate Buster on the Civil War stage as one of the funniest routines of all time!

Spite Marriage review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 1 July 2020]

Keaton's final silent movie - and the last over which he had any measure of creative control - has its moments, but fails to live up to his earlier classics. He's an ardent fan (i.e. stalker) of an actress who ends up wed to her because he happened to be lurking when she decided that marriage to any man would make the one she really loved jealous. Co-star Dorothy Sebastian must have had plenty of aches and bruises from being thrown about by Keaton as he tries to put her to bed, and then thrown into the sails of a yacht.

buster keaton is elmer in this 1929 silent

[ksf-2 · 8/10 · 4 October 2016]

SPOILERS Using the name "elmer" once again, Keaton carries the full length "Spite Marriage". And being a silent, he makes use of the sound effects, mixed in with the tailored music that helps us figure out what's going on. The plot goes all over the place... elmer starts out by watching "Trilby Drew" (Dorothy Sebastian) night after night in a theater performance. In Forrest Gump style, he manages to get himself in the play, and mucks it all up. Then he ends up shipping out with the rumrunners, and magically meets up with Trilby on her family yacht. Crazy things happen, mostly caused by elmer himself, but then he saves the day, and they live happily ever after. My question is.... everything he does at the end to become the hero requires agility, smarts, strength... where were those qualities ten minutes before when he was CAUSING all this trouble?? I know, it's only a movie. Let it go. enjoy the show. This was the first of three films Sebastian would make with B. Keaton. Sebastian died quite young from cancer, but has an interesting story at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Sebastian . Excellent silent film. I really enjoyed how the sound effects really work together with Keaton's actions... like whenever he almost cuts off an ear, you hear a little tiny sound chirp. Directed by Ed Sedgwick... he and Keaton ended up making 14 films together.

Weak Keaton flick

[zetes · 6/10 · 2 June 2002]

Easily the least good Buster Keaton film I've ever seen, made after he gave up his status as an independent. It is his last sound film and he is working with director Edward Sedgwick, who directed several of his sound films. I've seen three of those, Sidewalks of New York (1931), The Passionate Plumber (1932), and What? No Beer! (1933), which were all huge box office duds, but they're very good and underrated films. I don't know what exactly went wrong with Spite Marriage. It's just very weak. There are a few good moments, but none of them great. The best scene involves Buster trying to get his wife, passed out from too much wine, into bed. The final sequence has a lot of good stunts, but it isn't especially funny. It's only 80 minutes long, so it's worth a watch if you're a Keaton fan. If you aren't, definitely skip it. 6/10.

Leading female character wrecks it

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 5/10 · 19 September 2022]

The basic story is basic rom-com stuff: shmoe pines for beautiful woman who pines for handsome, aloof man. Hijinks ensue.

This plot works when the woman is a sympathetic character. Audiences are invested in her. We cheer for her to see the light and go with the regular shmoe, not the rich snob. And we cheer for the shmoe to prevail over Richie Rich.

Unfortunately, the creators forgot that important point here. Trillby Drew is a ungrateful brat. I kinda wanted her to get pitched overboard during the yacht sequence. And the more Keaton's character pursued her, the more I lost respect for him. As for the leading man, whatshisname, I'm not sure what Trillby Drew saw in him: he's pug-uglyand he's a total ssshole.

Therefore, in the end, all we've got is a series of sequences where Keaton can show off his athleticism. It's not enough.