Works, By Title: M-R (88)

Total: 357 works

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.

Max And The Donkey (L'âne jaloux)

Max is fooled into believing he is stalked by a jealous donkey. Note that here Max is chased down a wall by the donkey, and in "Max Takes A Bath" he is chased up a similar wall by cops.

Max and the Flirtometer (Le Baromètre de la Fidélité)

The Linders are given a long tube filled with clear liquid and told that their fidelity is proven as long as the liquid stays clear. It is missing the opening scene, as described at the Film: Ab Initio blog, which notes “Its brand of humour makes it a forerunner for the screwball comedies of the thirties and forties”. Features the Max Slide.

Max Speaks English (L'anglais tel que Max le parle)

Max meets an English girl on a train, and uses drawings to woo her. Few laughs, but effortlessly oozes charm.

Max Takes A Bath (Max prend un bain)

Max does a nervous twitch so effectively, it is almost contagious. When doctor prescribes hot baths, Max buys a tub which, hilariously, leads to a wall-scaling chase, as first seen in the 1906 "The ? Motorist", adding to the the wonderful absurdity of it all.

Max Takes A Picture (Max fait de la photo)

Max goes nuts when he sees big butt. Max tries to sneak snapshots of a Rubenesque beauty on the beach, but she gets payback - as Max ends up frantic with guilt. Too little content, dragged out too long.

Runaway Match/Marriage by Motor

Papa's attempt to bring back his eloping daughter is foiled by car troubles, in what is credited as the first (extremely brief) film car chase. But everyone's happy in the end. In between we get this close shot of hands and not much else. It seems odd to say a 5-minute film was too long, but watching the clock was more entertaining than watching the film. Thankfully, the added music is gorgeous.