He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

 Victor Sjostrom's "He Who Gets Slapped"


After enjoying commerical and critical success in Sweden, Victor Sjostrom took his talents to Hollywood. He arrived in New York in January of 1923, not expecting to stay too long. However, by 1924, he had gotten into good favor with Irving Thalberg, the newly appointed head of MGM, which had just merged. Sjostrom was so prestigous a director at this point, that the studios had given him full control over his pictures. Due to this freedom, Sjostrom made films that he considered more artistically viable. Deciding to adapt the Russian play "He Who Gets Slapped" by Leonid Andreyev, the film would end up being the very first film the newly established MGM put into production (although it would not be the first released). The film was even the very first to feature the lion as MGM's mascot. The film, based on the play, is an incredibly bleak affair, but would garnish much commercial and critical success.

The film centers on Paul, a scientist who labors for years and years researching his theories on the origins of mankind. One of his patrons, Baron Regnard, enables his research while also letting him and his wife Marie live in his mansion. However, once Paul uncovers revolutionary findings, the Baron steals both his work and his wife, as he slaps him in the face in front of his colleagues. Paul then becomes a highly successful circus clown, now named HE, whose whole act is being slapped in the face before he is able to speak. After falling in love with one of the performers named Consuelo, he discovers that her father has sold her to the Baron. Enraged, Paul locks the Baron and Consuelo's father in a room with a hungry lion, after being stapped. The lion eats the men and Paul staggers into the circus ring and dies. 

It was not abnormal for Sjostrom to tackle bleak stories. Most of his films deal with isolation, despair, and death. However, "He Who Gets Slapped" presents a far more desolate story. One of the title cards asks us why we enjoy the pain of others, as groups of people are constantly laughing at Paul while he is getting slapped. This title card seems to point to the sick fascination society has of putting people down and making them suffer. The Baron forces Paul into a situation of suffering, the circus puts Paul into constant displays of humilation, and even Paul himself takes joy in watching the Baron and Consuela's father suffer their doomed fate. The film is full of hatred and humilation. 

The film ended up garnishing major success. It also was lauded by many critics to be an incredibly artistic piece. Its bleak portrayal of humanity was unflinching and harsh. "Movie Weekly," in reviewing the movie, said, "[it] must be classed among the very best of truly dramatic pictures."



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on...
Read more

The Big Sleep (1946)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" After watching Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir " The Big Sleep ," I have to say that it is not one of my favorite film noirs. That being said, it was definitely the best Howard Hawks film I've seen thus far. It did not have the typical dark ending that permeates the whole film with bleak darkness, which probably made it a lesser noir for me. In fact, it felt more like a 'studio noir,' if that makes sense. I'm not going to go into the entire plot of the film, especially because the entire plot is incredibly convoluted. In fact, this was a major strike against the film at the time of its release. Many reported that they could not keep up with what was happening. I've got to say that, for myself, this was the case as well. I found myself having to rewind to figure out what exactly I missed or who was who. However, upon reflection, the convoluted plot may only add to the feverish intoxication of the film.  Because...
Read more