He Who Gets Slapped

Audience Reviews

View More

acsdoug D @acsdoug Jun 1, 2026 In the 1920s did people really think that someone getting slapped in the face was belly laugh funny? I don't get it myself, but if you ignore that part you're left with a decent drama of a man's self-flagellation when his wife cheats on him with his best friend. See more Joel H @786Joel Oct 3, 2025 He Who Gets Slapped may be the seed that planted the creepy clown trope. Lon Chaney does such a good job of playing a character that you feel bad for, but one you also fear. And while parts of this movie seem a little silly to modern day audiences, there’s something timeless about the heart of the story. I was also shocked and a little horrified at the finale, and I wondered how it must have affected those who were watching it back in the 1920s. So while I don’t think I could recommend He Who Gets Slapped to many people, I think those that enjoy silent thrillers will be pleasantly surprised by it. See more andy f @RT81936104 Dec 21, 2021 A masterpiece of cinema with one of Lon Chaney's strongest performances. This amazing film is more than about one man though - this is a movie of absolute marvel and pathos. See more Thomas M @TMProofreader Jan 26, 2019 The best romance movie ever made! See more Mar 5, 2018 Based on a play from Russian author Leonid Andreyev, 'He Who Gets Slapped' has some very dark themes - humiliation, adultery, betrayal, exploitation, and sadistic glee at someone else's expense. Lon Chaney stars as a scientist who early on suffers in two ways: his discoveries are stolen by his benefactor (Marc McDermott), and then his wife (Ruth King) tells him she's leaving him for the same scoundrel. Humiliated in public and private by being slapped and laughed at, he retreats from his life and takes up a career as a clown. His act? Being slapped and abused by 60 other clowns, much to the merriment of the audience. (Of course!) It's a kind of ridiculous plot device to get him into this position, and then for his benefactor to cross paths with him five years later, but if you can suspend disbelief, you'll probably enjoy the film for its performances. You see some of the worst of human behavior shown in unflinching ways, and Chaney is the perfect guy for the part. He's fantastic, and to see him dressed up as a pathetic, bitter clown is something else. The film also includes Norma Shearer early in her career (just 22 years old); she plays a new performer to the circus. She begins having romantic feelings for her fellow horseman (John Gilbert), and there is a lovely scene of them out on a picnic, the charm of which helps lighten the tone of the movie. Shearer is so pretty that she also attracts Chaney (who we feel sorry for), and McDermott (who we hiss at). Love and self-sacrifice are the best of human behavior, and provide a counterbalance to the rest of the film. Another aspect I found interesting was that it reminded me of a couple of Chaney's later films in the 1920's that I had seen before, both directed by Tod Browning. 'The Unknown' (1927) also takes place in a circus, and in one of its best scenes, features Chaney's horror and angst to being laughed at. 'Where East is East' (1929) also features 'murder by using a wild animal', though in that film, it was a gorilla, and here, it's a lion. It's interesting that these themes were recycled, and perhaps a testament to the power of their darkness. See more Mar 3, 2016 Lon Chaney is absorbing and creepy as a wronged and humiliated scientist turned masochistic circus clown (yes, you read that correctly) in this early silent film from new studio MGM. Even behind his make-up Chaney burns with an intensity that lifts the movie beyond its revenge/love triangle plot. Swedish director Victor Sjöström (later the star of Bergman's Wild Strawberries) keeps things moving with deft editing and some odd set-pieces. For example, there is a recurring motif of a clown spinning a globe, no doubt reflecting the fickle vagaries of fate. Although things drag when Chaney is not on-screen and the movie shifts to Norma Shearer and John Gilbert professing their love (even while her father sells her to the wicked Baron, ironically the man who stole Chaney's scientific ideas and slapped him in the first place, in front of the Academy no less), the conclusion is effectively downbeat. If only the weird business of the slaps was foregrounded a bit more, this could have achieved greater cult status. See more Read all reviews

He Who Gets Slapped

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING