Works, By Duration: 6-10 minutes (75)

Total: 364 works

The Cruel Mother (La marâtre/The Stepmother)

Relax - it's not an attack on motherhood. It's just another shot at the traditional whipping post: the stepmother. No new ground covered here, as everyone who's been subjected to fairy tales learned that stepmothers are evil (usually long before learning what the word 'stepmother' means). But be warned that the child beating scenes are not for the squeamish.

The Truth Behind the Ape-Man (La vérité sur l'homme-singe)

Notable for an early use of inter-cutting for comic effect (in a running gag), and the manic performance of the uncredited lead as ape-man (shades of Harpo). Also impressed by how efffective the wordless storytelling was. Or maybe not: almost all the online reviews I read were either baffled or off the mark. But if you're feeling the need for clues, there's a detailed breakdown at: https://centuryfilmproject.org/2016/06/13/the-truth-behind-the-ape-man-1906/

The Policemen's Little Run (La course des sergents de ville)

Dog goes for sausage, police go after dog.

The Doctor's Bride/An Evil Thought Thwarted

Geezer Alert! Next time you old farts are out cruising for young hotties, carry along this flick to show her why a boring bourgeois baldy's better than a hot young hunk. Guaranteed to thwart her evil thoughts - and let you put yours in action. Or at least give you both a good laugh.

The Surprises of a Flirtation (Les surprises de l'amour)

A father and two sons pursue the same dame. Even though this release date is not in Linder's early period, this is not Max, the dapper and loveable upper-class twit.

Romeo Turns Bandit (Roméo Se Fait Bandit)

Romeo hires bandits to kidnap Juliet and capture her father. Move on folks, nothing to see here.

Drunkard's Child

Smelly old geezer flashes fat cash to lure a young boy. Then, when boy's mom croaks, he seizes the opportunity to bumrush dad from his own house and snatch the boy. Finally, dad gets snuffed out when geezer's crony pumps lead into dad's back, and authorities bestow blessings on the snatch&snuff - with no one once bothering to ask the kid what he would like. Stats: in this under-7 minutes short, the serial flasher flashes his wallet 3 times. Good clean family fun film.

The Little Vixen (Petite Rosse)

Max must learn to juggle three balls to win a mischievous maid. Includes one of the craziest of the Crazy Max dances. The title of this print "Max Jongleur par Amour (Juggling for Love)" is probably a re-release title, for there is no film with that title in the Pathe catalog. The description of the plot, down to the wording of the intertitles, identifies it as "Petite rosse". The film was originally also released in Pathecolor.

Max's First Job (Les débuts de Max au cinématographe)

Max applies for a job as an actor, and perfectly captures that mix of jitters and groveling that marks any job-seeker.

The Banknote (Le billet de banque)

A pre-Chaplin tale of tramp troubles. Tramp rescues wealthy couple from robbery and is rewarded with a bank note, but when he tries to use it he just gets the old bum's rush. Reasoning that 'clothes make the man', he attempts to solve the problem by...robbery.

Troubles Of A Grasswidower (Vive La Vie de Garçon)

Max has a wife who tires of his annoying behavior and returns to her mother. At first, Max is quite pleased to have the house all to himself. But he quickly discovers that even the most basic domestic chores can be fraught with difficulty. Introduces the Crazy Max dance

Custody Of The Child (Possession de l'enfant)

Mom and Dad head to Splitsville, for unspecified reasons, but we see that while Mom begs for a second chance, Pops says no dice - which suggests deep mistrust may be an obstacle to reconcilement. We also note that, after the split, neither has a live-in lover. A relatively mature portrait (that doesn't place blame) of the pain of divorce on a child who makes it clear he wants both parents, on a mother who is cut off from the child and put out of the home with no financial support nor support from her family, and on a father who has money and authority, yet is helpless in his struggle to ease his child's suffering.

An Unexpected Guest

From Lubin ad:

A young doctor had a love affair with one of the hospital nurses. Through machinations of his father the young doctor is made to believe that the nurse has given him up...

From The Moving Picture World (August 28, 1909) review:

A Lubin which seems to be somewhat uncalled for...The photography is good and to a certain extent the picture may interest those who are thoughtless, but there is a certain degree of delicacy which should be observed about such matters that is plainly violated here. The picture serves no useful purpose. It is not instructive and cannot be called entertaining. The reason for its existence is not plain and the silent drama would be improved if the picture was never shown again.

So here it is, shown again, over 100 years later, still of interest to the thoughtless.

Goof: Though we see the unexpected guest two years after its conception was hinted at, making it at least 15 months old, it appears to be still an infant!

Le due innamorate di Cretinetti

Cretinetti has fun fueling the flames of two females fighting for his affection. A showcase of comic pantomime.

Max Is Convalescent (Max Linder en convalescence)

Max returns to family for a rest, but a puckish pony has other plans. Finally, Max is "rescued by Rover".