Max Linder. Probably the first worldwide famous screen comedian. I say that knowing somebody will let me know of the infamous Burpo the Clown out of Czechoslovakia who started making films in 1901 or something like that, but Max Linder is genuinely the first I know of. Predates Chaplin by a good decade and unlike just about everybody else we discussed, made his films outside of the United States in a far away land called France. Not only does Linder predate Chaplin, he also influenced Chaplin. Chaplin was very public about this and footage of the two men meeting exists. Linder made literally hundreds of one reelers, MAX TAKES A BATH being one of them.
MAX TAKES A BATH according to IMDb is 1910. Some YouTube sources say 1906 or 1908, so for now I’ll just go with 1910 and be confident this was filmed the same century as STAR WARS. That out of the way, a lot of really early film comedy is thought to be in the anything goes Sennett style while most comedians slowed down as we got to the twenties, domestic comedians like John Bunny aside. Well, I’m here to tell you Max Linder was taking his time milking gags in a Harold Lloyd vain before Chaplin and Laurel shared fish and chips on a boat together.
One thing that strikes me about this short - no title cards. OK, there is one note from a doctor instructing Max has to take a bath, but that’s it. Everything else is told in gag and pantomime completely and it all makes perfect sense. Max’s convulsions and jittering are well done and convey the reason why he needs to bathe more. Max getting the big tub to his apartment is milked to perfection and once in the apartment, there’s gags trying to take a bath, which leads to a police chase. Watch the short to find out how, a synopsis is not necessary, just that the main point is this is all very well constructed comedy that is frankly years ahead of its time, based on my viewing experience, at least.
The stuff where Max gets chased by the cops naked in a bath tub is hysterical and even has Max climbing a building - in a bath tub. Made funnier when the cops also climb the building. It lacks the realism of SAFETY LAST but the concept is there and filmed well just the same. Most importantly, it generated some laughs from me.
This is really an excellent little film and I need to check out more of these one reelers, which I haven’t really seen many. They do take up the bulk of Linder’s work, even though I’m most familiar with the three features he made in the States in the early twenties. All of which I’ve seen. There’s also three Essanay shorts he made before this, one of which I’ve seen. As far as I know, that is the extent of his American career.
Some sad story to wrap this up. Linder did serve in World War I and had some type of injury in a gas accident that effected him the rest of his life. He sadly committed suicide, along with his young wife, at the age of 41, leaving behind a young child. Just as a dumb question, am I the only one who think Linder looked like Freddie Mercury?
