Works by Max Linder (64)

Max Professor Of Tango (Max professeur de Tango)

One, two, three - puke! A drunken tango lesson by Max is the old “Walk this way” gag taken to the extreme. Showcases both his smooth dancing style (7 years before Valentino's tango!), as well as his masterful physical comedic skill, in a clever skit that needed no intertitles.

Max And The Lady Doctor (Max et la doctoresse)

In the first act, Max must overcome his shyness to declare his love for a lady doctor. Some funny stuff here. In the second act, he faces numerous obstacles on his wedding night. Not much Max here, just lots of strange medical practices. In the final act, he restores his privileged position of malehood, as in the Alice Guy-Blaché film “The Consequences of Feminism (1906)” - sans the profound irony. But the major shortcoming here is too much angry Max, not enough lovable hapless twit.

Max Plays The Drama (Max joue le drame)

Max performs tragedy - and leaves not a dry eye in the house. Could be viewed as a parody of his bumbling in "La légende de Polichinelle (1907)".

Mariage forcé

When Max walks in on his manservant lovingly looking over a newly purchased dress, the servant admits his passion - and Max reaches for his hip pocket. But not for a gun, as the servant fears, but for his wallet - and Max immediately pays him to act as his bride (Broad-minded chap, this fellow Max).

Cross-dressing strictly for deception is an old gag - as in Max and the Maid (1912). But pulling off a project of deception by enlisting the aid of someone who cross-dresses for pleasure is not a common gag. But if Max doesn't marry soon he won't get any more money from his uncle (a premise that returns in Max's King of the Circus (1924)). The uncle, who showed no interest in Max's other marriage prospects, goes nuts over the male-order bride. An uncommon gag - and also a subtle satire of upper-class sexual conventions.

Goof: Around 8:27 the door is opened and then shut but no one appears - perhaps an aborted entrance?

Max In Monaco (Max à Monaco)

No story - just funny Max-drunk-again gags, this time on a boat.

Max And His Mother-in-law (Max et sa belle-mère)

Max has a new bride, but can't escape his mother-in-law. Twice the length, but fraction of laughs. Virtually every moment of the film shows Max in anger, yet that is not where Max's comic attraction dwells - he is lovable as a hapless twit. But it does provide historic confirmation for an axiom of comedy: your act is in trouble when you find yourself resorting to mother-in-law jokes.