This is my first Max Linder comedy viewed. It is a great example of visual comedy & physical comedy. It is a perfect example of how the romantic love-triangle comedy developed & a short predecessor to Harold Lloyds brilliant "Girl Shy" which would come out a few years later. If you like this, check out Lloyd's feature which long term led to the 1967 Dustin Hoffman classic "The Graduate".
The opening scene is confusion comedy at it's best as it looks like Linder is dumping water on his girlfriends head. While the camera is used brilliantly to convey that impression, we the audience know it is not the case. The mother then wants the girl to marry someone else after witnessing this deception. The other suitor looks a little like Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, but according to the cast, this guy is another person.
The amazing thing in this short is there are some great sequences by Linder including the scare crow sequence in the garden, & the music instructor. A bonus is how much mileage they get out of the dog as the dog is a key component to several sequences as well. When Linder confronts the intruder to show mom how brave he is & win the girl, there are a couple of continuity problems. Still, the film is a very good quality silent comedy worth the effort.
The existing film is considered an "abridged" film which means there might have been more film. Considering this was 1921, it is possible that the only thing missing is the original title & how Linder met & arrived at the girl friends house. If there were any other visuals like in this existing portion, that is a great loss.
The opening scene is confusion comedy at it's best as it looks like Linder is dumping water on his girlfriends head. While the camera is used brilliantly to convey that impression, we the audience know it is not the case. The mother then wants the girl to marry someone else after witnessing this deception. The other suitor looks a little like Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, but according to the cast, this guy is another person.
The amazing thing in this short is there are some great sequences by Linder including the scare crow sequence in the garden, & the music instructor. A bonus is how much mileage they get out of the dog as the dog is a key component to several sequences as well. When Linder confronts the intruder to show mom how brave he is & win the girl, there are a couple of continuity problems. Still, the film is a very good quality silent comedy worth the effort.
The existing film is considered an "abridged" film which means there might have been more film. Considering this was 1921, it is possible that the only thing missing is the original title & how Linder met & arrived at the girl friends house. If there were any other visuals like in this existing portion, that is a great loss.