HE WHO GETS SLAPPED On Blu-ray From Flicker Alley

 

Flicker Alley treats us with a Blu-ray special edition of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, a unique 1924 silent melodrama which stars the legendary Lon Chaney. 

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED is not a horror film, but Lon Chaney in clown makeup is about as creepy as you can get. (In the film's story, Chaney's character is supposed to be a circus headliner due to his ability to make people laugh, but when he flashes his wide-eyed mad grin it's hard to believe anyone would find him funny.) Chaney plays Paul Beaumont, a struggling scientist whose life's work--and wife--are stolen from him by an elitist Baron who posed as a benefactor. When Beaumont protests at this treatment the Baron dismissively slaps him--and this incident sends the scientist over the edge. The poor man winds up at a Paris circus, where for every performance Beaumont relives his tragic past. Going simply by the name of "HE", Beaumont falls in love with a beautiful young bareback rider named Consuelo (Norma Shearer). Consuelo, however, has eyes for Bezano (John Gilbert), the partner in her act. She also has a greedy, amoral father who is willing to "give" her to a rich older man in exchange for financial security--and that rich older man happens to be Beaumont's old enemy, the Baron. The crafty clown comes upon an emphatic way to allow Consuelo and Bezano to be free and get revenge on the father and the Baron at the same time. 

Beyond featuring a great Lon Chaney performance, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED has a major place in cinema history--it was the first film produced by the newly-formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company. Directed by the Swedish Victor Seastrom, the movie has plenty of symbolism and poignancy, but some might find Paul Beaumont's obsession with emotionally torturing himself a bit too much. (In his clown act Beaumont is slapped by dozens and dozens of clowns, and then his "heart" is torn from his costume and buried under the center ring. "HE" is then given a clown's funeral. Remember that this act is something Beaumont performs night after night.) Much has been made of the sadomasochistic tendencies of Chaney's characters--maybe too much--but this time all the film buff psychoanalysis bears thinking about. 

Norma Shearer and John Gilbert are fine as the young lovers--this was before each of them reached their own major stardom at MGM--but it must be stated that when the story focuses on them, and Chaney is not on the screen, things have a tendency to bog down. Marc McDermott as the Baron and Tully Marshall as Consuelo's father are a particularly nasty pair of villains--but don't worry, they get exactly what they deserve (and then some). 

This Region-Free Blu-ray features a new restoration of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED by Blackhawk Films. The print is leagues above the one used on a Warner Archive DVD that was released years ago. Two music choices are presented on this disc: a piano score by Antonio Coppola, and an orchestral score by the Alloy Orchestra that was recorded live during a showing of the film in 2013. (For my money the orchestral score is preferable.) 

The extras include a short history of Leo the Lion, the famous logo of MGM, a 1925 Mack Sennett boxing comedy called HE WHO GETS SMACKED which only satirizes the Chaney film's title, a 1926 Max Fleischer "Out of the Inkwell" cartoon titled KOKO AT THE CIRCUS, and stills & promotional galleries. (The various photos of Chaney in his clown getup are as unsettling as any photos from LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT or THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.)

Michael F. Blake, the ultimate Lon Chaney expert, provides an informative brand new audio commentary. Blake discusses the formation of MGM, gives out various circus trivia, and details his lifelong fascination with Chaney. Flicker Alley has also provided a 16 page booklet that has stills from the film and an article by Thomas Gladysz that covers the film's production history. It also contains excerpts from a 1923 interview of Victor Seastrom by SCREENLAND magazine. The disc cover insert for this Blu-ray edition is reversible. 

Flicker Alley puts out magnificent product, and this release will be highly enjoyed by silent movie and Lon Chaney fans. One hopes that the company has more titles in the works starring the Man of a Thousand Faces.