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Slide for He Who Gets Slapped (1924) |
The opening intertitle sets the tone for all that follows:
"In the grim comedy of life, it has been wisely said that the last laugh is the best.""Grim comedy of life" indeed. He Who Gets Slapped is a standout for any number of reasons but Chaney's heartbreaking performance tops the list. I won't synopsize the film here, but if you want to know more I suggest that you check out the excellent summary at Classic Film Guide. Suffice it to say, if it's a tragic clown you're looking for, this is the place to find one.
Slide image courtesy of Cleveland Public Library.
I believe this was also the first film to be issued as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer title, after the three studios that merged to create MGM joined forces.
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