Works featuring "catfight" (11)

Mabel's Strange Predicament

Fans of Mabel's comedy don't like this because the focus is on her charm rather than her comic talents. And although Mabel stars, it's really a showcase for Chaplin - the film where The Tramp was born. But fans of Chaplin's pathos and progressive social commentary don't like to see the lovable Little Tramp obnoxiously drunk, belligerent, lewd, and molesting (though such drunk roles launched Chaplin's fame in the English music halls). So this film has gotten poor reviews. But this work is a gem precisely because it is different - showing how Chaplin's style diverged from American film comics, utilizing small quirky movements and subtle comic expression, not just broad clowning. Actually worthy of the Keystone byline 'farce comedy', and with its subtle humor, this is one for Max Linder fans (both Chaplin and Sennett were big fans): cf. 'Max Takes Tonics' (1911).

Note: there seems to be no agreement on director's credits: Mabel Normand (as claimed by IMDB and Wikipedia), Mabel Normand and Mack Sennett, or Henry Lehman and Mack Sennett.

Keno Bates, Liar

Keno Bates, Sleazeball, runs a saloon. As every Hart movie has shown, saloon owners are despicable scumbags who run crooked gambling halls. When one of Keno's victims refuses to accept that he'd walked into Keno's trap, he lashes out in armed revenge to retrieve his money - just as the “hero” of Hart's The Silent Man (1917) does. Although both Keno and his henchman were armed, they offered no resistance (which would be considered legitimate self-defense), made no attempt to dissuade the man, and afterwards never notified the law.

Instead Keno Bates, Lyncher and his henchman set out after the money they'd swindled, and the hombre who had the gall to grab it back - despite knowing he was armed and desperate.

When Keno Bates, Murderer eyeballs a snapshot of his victim's sister, he warns his henchman to get ready to take their lying to a whole new level, as Keno Bates, Slimebucket starts scheming how to use the murder he just committed to bust a move on the dead man's sister.

Later, when the sister learns that she has been deceived, she reacts like her brother. First, she lashes out murderously against the innocent messenger - the only honest person in the whole flick, and the one who legitimately pulled a weapon in self-defense.

Then she lashes out in armed revenge against Keno Bates, Sucker, who has fallen for a wild vixen in sheep's clothing, who will bring into his life the hell that he rightly deserves, and the DNA that would eventually result in Norman Bates, Psycho.

Carmen [1915]

“Carmen For Dummies”, completely ditches character development. Instead of the tortured soul of Don José, we just get a handsome-but-lifeless-turned-pissed-off Don José. Instead of marveling at the fiery young willful beauty of Carmen, we're left to assume that all the young dudes have the hots for an ordinary-looking 33-year-old (who looks over 40) simply because she's the only dame in town putting out. Worse, the book and opera's multidimensional Carmen who was torn between her feelings for Don José and her strong need for independence is here simply a shallow manipulator who never feels anything for Don José, only uses him then throws him away. In place of character, we get extended realistic fight scenes - better than the average Western or swashbuckler. In short, a Carmen suitable for an American audience.