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

Monday, July 17, 2017

The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940)

Of all of Buster’s late-career film work, this is probably my favorite, the best combination of overall quality and worthwhile material/screentime for Buster.  It’s very unlike his typical sort of comedy, but he takes to it well, and the film is a fair amount of fun even when he’s not in it (premise spoilers.)

Done in the style of a melodrama and morality play, this satire is centered about a house occupied by sweet, virginal Mary and her widowed mother (played by Margaret “Wicked With of the West” Hamilton.)  The pair are tragically alone in the world, and their tenancy is threatened by the unscrupulous lawyer of the house’s late owner.  When the owner’s son, virtuous young Edward, swoops in to save the two women from their fate, it appears that a happy new life is on the horizon.  Edward and Mary fall in love, but on the very day of their wedding, the lawyer uses his most dastardly trick yet, convincing Edward to let a single drop of alcohol touch his lips.  The poor man is done for:  addicted almost instantly, he swiftly turns to lying, fits of rage, and all manner of sins under the influence of the demon liquor.  Mary only hopes there is some kind soul in the world who can restore her husband to the man he once was.

With its over-the-top send-up of cautionary temperance tales, this film reminds me, weirdly, of Reefer Madness:  The Musical.  While that show is inspired by an actual old propaganda film warning against the dangers of marijuana, The Villain Still Pursued Her, as far as I know, is just a general parody of that style of sermon storytelling.  Still, both take great pleasure in cranking up the horrific effects of the substance they’re decrying to ridiculous levels, all the better juxtaposed by the ludicrous saintliness of the poor woman who loves the sadly misguided soul who’s turned to weed/drink.  The film has a lot of fun winking at these conventions, and the lead actors do a nice job of delivering dialogue that’s both stilted and overwrought at the same time.

Buster plays William Dalton, Edward’s good friend and the unassuming hero of the piece.  While it’s only a supporting role, William plays an important part, both in trying to help Edward get back on the straight-and-narrow and in trying to unmask the lawyer’s treachery.  As I said, Buster gets into the spirit of the proceedings, delivering knowing asides to the camera and waxing thoughtfully on the dangers of alcohol.  His character has a few additional humorous touches, like his habit of always declaring his full name directly into the camera and a goofy bit where he conceals himself from the lawyer to spy on his misdeeds.

Also, there’s a completely-random pie-throwing scene shoehorned into the middle of the movie for no reason whatsoever.  It’s not so central to the plot that it had to go down as pie-throwing, and tonally, it has no place in the film.  I can only assume that, because of Buster’s presence, they assumed they had to include such a scene.  And why pie-throwing in particular?  Either because there was already a misconception that that’s all that silent comedians did, or because that was the sort of thing practiced by the slapstick stars of the day?  I don’t know – either way, it’s a weird inclusion.

Warnings

Drinking and a little violence.

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