He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

This is my first Lon Chaney film, and maybe I'll come back to this one after I've watched a few more... for the moment, though, I guess I'm not 100% mesmerized. I understand the film's idea, but I'm not sure I believe in the realism. If this film is a metaphor for life, sure, but as an actual representation of life, no.

Paul (Lon Chaney) is a great scientist on the verge of announcing his major findings to the committee of scientists. That's a little odd, as this seems like his first meeting with other scientists, as though his first major discover is his introduction to the scientific community, as though he's been isolated and alone and never had a scientific mentor or any scientific peers. Or friends. I guess I had trouble getting passed that.

Because as it happens, he does have a benefactor, who, as far as we know, is simply rich, not a scientist. He takes all of Paul's work and claims he's the one who did it all. Okay, then have him explain it. And did the community of scientists find it weird that this rich guy just came up with all this stuff, and then never contributed anything to science ever again?

En passing, note that Paul's woman immediately goes over to the benefactor, too. But then what happens to her?

I guess that doesn't matter. What matters is: You can't trust anyone. Paul's life is a big slap in the face, and no one is there to help him. So, he monetizes how life works. He joins a circus of clowns, and his gimmick is being slapped in the face. He gets paid for that. And he carries the unwieldy clown's name He Who Gets Slapped, or He... for short.

Unfortunately, that's all he is now. Just a clown to be slapped. He's always in character. He never takes the clown face off. Even when he tries to pour out his emotions to another woman, she only sees him as the Clown. Can you blame her? He's in full makeup.

A lot of reviewers call this movie a downer, and I suppose it is. That's the sole direction it goes, and we don't ever see a rebirth or any sort of opportunity for Paul to rebound. That's pretty gloomy. Some reviewers also suggest that He... is the original Joker. Well, sure. They're both clowns, but I wouldn't go much farther into it than that.

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