For this Lon Chaney vehicle, "Laugh, Clown, Laugh," The Man of a Thousand Faces once again plays a clown (he'd already done so in "He Who Gets Slapped" (1924))-and a sad one at that. It's a distasteful film and not just because it has clowns, the usual love triangle and is a dated tearjerker, which, today, comes off as excruciating and quite slow for being only 74 minutes. The love triangle features two men chasing after a girl half, or in Chaney's case about a third, their ages. Moreover, Chaney's character, Tito, has been raising this girl, Simonetta, like a daughter since he found her orphaned as a small child. Later, when she is played by the then-14-years-old Loretta Young, Tito (who is at least in his mid-forties, if not older, like Chaney was) falls in love with her romantically. Next up in the love triangle, a rich count or dandy named Luigi won't keep his hands off the teenager he's just met.
Tito, Simonetta and Luigi become best pals after Tito and Luigi visit a doctor. Tito, the clown, can't help crying, and Luigi can't control his laughter. And, as strange as that sounds, even stranger is the doctor's same advice to them: love. He suggests to Tito that he stop suppressing his feelings of love and tells Luigi to fall in love sincerely with the right kind of woman. What a quack. Soap-opera-like (well, the film traces its origins back to an opera, so I guess it's just operatic) backstage drama ensues, as the characters eventually encounter each other about the love-triangle predicament. Tito seems to take his doctor's advice too far about not suppressing his feelings-as he throws them all over the place while he performs his circus routines in anticipation of Simonetta's decision. This is not one of Chaney's more restrained performances, to say the least. But, apparently, some silent-film fans still like it, and I suppose the material is begging for capital-A Acting.
I'd probably like it better if Chaney's clown were at least funny. In addition to the love triangle, the film also makes a big deal about how funny Tito's clown persona, Flick, is. His clown partner, Simon, a.k.a. Flock, makes a dramatic plea for him to continue performing because, as he says, the world needs laughter. Flick only has one good act, and it's impressive as a physical stunt, but not a comical one. If you want to see a funny clown at the circus, see Charlie Chaplin in "The Circus" (1928). To say something nice, however, Chaney's makeup job is impressive, per usual, and I'm not talking about the clown makeup. He did well to portray the aging of his character from young adoptive father to incestuous old man pining after his now-teenage daughter.
Tito, Simonetta and Luigi become best pals after Tito and Luigi visit a doctor. Tito, the clown, can't help crying, and Luigi can't control his laughter. And, as strange as that sounds, even stranger is the doctor's same advice to them: love. He suggests to Tito that he stop suppressing his feelings of love and tells Luigi to fall in love sincerely with the right kind of woman. What a quack. Soap-opera-like (well, the film traces its origins back to an opera, so I guess it's just operatic) backstage drama ensues, as the characters eventually encounter each other about the love-triangle predicament. Tito seems to take his doctor's advice too far about not suppressing his feelings-as he throws them all over the place while he performs his circus routines in anticipation of Simonetta's decision. This is not one of Chaney's more restrained performances, to say the least. But, apparently, some silent-film fans still like it, and I suppose the material is begging for capital-A Acting.
I'd probably like it better if Chaney's clown were at least funny. In addition to the love triangle, the film also makes a big deal about how funny Tito's clown persona, Flick, is. His clown partner, Simon, a.k.a. Flock, makes a dramatic plea for him to continue performing because, as he says, the world needs laughter. Flick only has one good act, and it's impressive as a physical stunt, but not a comical one. If you want to see a funny clown at the circus, see Charlie Chaplin in "The Circus" (1928). To say something nice, however, Chaney's makeup job is impressive, per usual, and I'm not talking about the clown makeup. He did well to portray the aging of his character from young adoptive father to incestuous old man pining after his now-teenage daughter.