"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Monday, October 27, 2014

Spite Marriage (1929)

 
Though a lot rougher than The Cameraman, Buster Keaton’s other silent feature with MGM isn’t bad.  It suffers from the slide into making Buster’s characters bumbling sad-sacks, and the behind-the-scenes quarreling comes through onscreen, but it has several topnotch sequences that are pure Buster and is an ultimately enjoyable film.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a last hurrah before Free and Easy and its ilk (shudder!), but I’d rank it on par with College or The Saphead.
 
The plot veers into over-convoluted, especially in the second half, but at its core is Buster’s character Elmer and his starstruck love for the actress Trilby Drew.  Elmer is a man of modest means, a trouser-presser who “borrows” his wealthy clients’ clothes when he goes to the theatre to watch Trilby perform – every night – so she’ll think he’s a millionaire.  (Side note:  he’s such a stalker.  It’s Buster, so he’s sweet and funny about it, but he’s totally a stalker.)
 
Elmer thinks he’s hit pay dirt when Trilby decides to elope with her adoring, supposedly-wealthy fan, but in truth, she’s only doing it to get a rise out of her costar, who unforgivably got engaged to someone else.  So, Elmer finds himself with a miserable wife who’s in love with another man and doesn’t care a whit about him.  Luckily, this is before MGM set out to cinematically break Buster Keaton, so the movie is ultimately about Trilby realizing how much more there is to Elmer than she thought.  In a meandering development that for some reason involves bootleggers on a boat, Elmer is able to step up and prove his capabilities.
 
Made between The Cameraman and Free and Easy, this film continues the MGM trend of making Buster’s characters more pitiable.  Though he acquits himself well in the third act, a good-sized chunk of the movie thrives on the whole “poor Elmer” angle.  He embarrasses himself in front of Trilby, other people embarrass him in front of her, and after their marriage, she embarrasses him in front of others.  Her dismissive treatment of him prompts a lot of hangdog expressions that, as I’ve said before, feel out of place in a Buster Keaton film.
 
However, there are some tremendous laugh in this movie.  There’s an amazing sequence of Elmer trying to get Trilby into bed after she’s passed out drunk, and it’s so funny you could seriously pull a muscle laughing at him.  Terrific physical comedy, and Buster’s acting is priceless.  (Fun fact – it’s easily the movie’s best and most memorable scene, and MGM didn’t want it in the film.  Oy vey.)  A long sequence of Elmer getting caught up in some backstage (and onstage!) shenanigans at Trilby’s play, as filmed, dips at times into cringe humor – that poor Elmer thing again – but it also has some great, funny bits.  I doubt that anyone could badly apply a false beard with more panache than Buster, and it’s super.
 
As for other entries in the plus column, Dorothy Sebastian does a wonderful job as Trilby.  Her evolving relationship with Elmer feels believable and is very engaging to watch.  Some of the action is fantastic, and although the plot takes some nonsensical turns to get there, you really can’t go wrong with Buster on a boat.
 
Warnings
 
Slapstick violence, some light gun violence, and quite a bit of drinking.

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