New Moon (1940)

This, by the way, is not the Twlight series movie of the same name.

Despite coming after Buster’s MGM years, this is an MGM film.  After he parted ways with the studio and spent a handful of years doing films outside the US and shorts on the cheap, Buster became involved with the ol’ lion again.  Mostly, he did gag work for newer comedians like the Marx Brothers, staying behind-the-scenes, but every now and then, he did pop up on camera (premise spoilers.)

A period piece, musical, and romantic comedy, New Moon begins on the open sea, with aristocrat Marianne traveling from Paris to New Orleans.  On the ship, she has a chemistry-filled meet-cute with Charles, who, upon meeting her, allows her to think he’s one of the captain’s stewards.  In actuality, he’s part of a group of bondsmen being transported for sale, a fact that becomes much harder to disguise when he’s bought at auction for Marianne’s new home in Louisiana.  Marianne is furious at having allowed herself to have been taken in by a commoner and a criminal, but Charles has one more secret up his sleeve:  he’s really the Duc de Villiers, an enemy of the king who posed as a bondsman to escape Paris. 

It’s certainly a product of its time – the film is wholly indifferent to the slaves in the background, and the romance includes more than a little of the idea that Marianne needs to be shown her place – but in the context of what it is, it’s not a bad film.  There’s a definite lavishness to the sets, costumes, and musical numbers, and there’s a decidedly-grand feel to the proceedings.  But despite having the trappings of a sweeping period romance, it keeps its sights set on the flirtatious love/hate connection between Charles and Marianne, the pull toward one another that simmers beneath the lies, misunderstandings, and apparent class differences.  I enjoy their back-and-forth, both their charged banter and their more unguarded moments.

What the movie is not is a good opportunity to see Buster in action.  According to the trivia on IMDb, Buster played the part of Lulu, a comic-relief side character among the bondsmen.  However, by the time the film made it to theaters, nearly all of his role had been cut out.  All that’s left are glimpses of him in amongst some group scenes, including a bit of singing in the chorus.  One of the greatest silent comedians of all time, a glorified extra.  Maybe somewhere between shooting and release, MGM decided it still hadn’t forgiven Buster for the way things ended between them?  Either way, there’s no Buster-related reason to see the film unless you’re a completist – anything that distinguished his character from any other bondsman was left on the cutting room floor.

Warnings

Some old-timey sexism, mild violence, and the insensitive use of slaves as window dressing.