Seven Years Bad Luck

To me, this movie was highly reminiscent of a Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton film, though with fewer laughs. Now this ISN'T to say it wasn't funny or was a bad film--but the number and intensity of the laughs was lower than other similar films. And the reason it looked a lot like a film by these other comedians is that Max Linder originated so many of the comedy routines we took for granted in films by later comedians--such as the mirror gag that was copied in DUCK SOUP (1933). Also, in the scenes where Max steps on and off the train so acrobatically are exactly the sort of thing I would expect Keaton or perhaps Chaplin to do. Chaplin himself credits much of his success to things he learned by watching early Linder films, though by the time he made it to Hollywood, Linder's film apparently lost a lot of their frenetic spark.

This film ostensibly is about Max breaking a mirror and trying to avoid bad luck--though everything he did only made things worse. While a promising premise, the movie really seemed to lose direction and the original plot is seldom in evidence later in the film. Some very good and interesting moments, but a lackluster and vague plot didn't help this movie. Still, it is nice to see Linder in a full-length film and it is well worth seeing for its finer moments. to highlight Linder's talents.

After drinking too much at his bachelor party, wealthy Max Linder stumbles home, disoriented. He confuses his window and closet. Servants accidentally break Max' full-length mirror and conceal the fact by having a Max look-alike (Harry Mann) pose as his reflection. The ruse works through his morning shave, but Max realizes the glass is missing and throws a shoe at the mirror. Unfortunately, the new glass arrived and repairs were made. Max broke the mended mirror and fears "Seven Years Bad Luck" will follow...

The "mirror scene" in the opening minutes wasn't the first or last time this "bit" was done; however, it was the best. There are other great moments in this feature. The main story involves "false friend" F.B. Crayne trying to steal pretty Alta Allen (as Betty) from luckless Max. You'll lose track of the plot while marveling at how Max is able to sneak on a train and evade pursuers. Note how his disguise as a Black porter avoids the stereotypical qualities common for the time; there are no exaggerated lips or eyes, and Max' stance is explained by his over-sized pants. A female passenger is unable to accept the "masked" Max...

There are those who like Max with the lions, but the scenes do look forced. Much better is the finale. When Max in thrown in jail, he meets an inmate (Cap Anderson) who demands, "Scratch my back!" Max initially declines, but taking care of the other man's "itch" becomes pleasurable when they dose off and Max dreams his new companion is female. When they wake up, Max wants "Mary" again, but his new partner has a hard time giving up the relationship. In the end, switching partners appears to solve the problem.

********* Seven Years Bad Luck (2/6/21) Max Linder ~ Max Linder, Alta Allen, F.B. Crayne, Harry Mann, Cap Anderson

It is very complicated for this German Count to talk about Herr Max Linder because it is well-know among the silent film fans and even the longhaired ones, that he was the first and the greatest comedian, the paradigm of the elegance in comedy films, a world –famous star in the 10's. He had great influence with his unique style on the other comic stars that developed their careers after him including Herr Charles Chaplin. He created a genuine character, a young French idle class bourgeois boulevardier with top hat and suit ( not to be mistaken with the older German elegant and dissipated aristocracy… ), that always rather politely succeeds in the most incredible adventures… although after many efforts. This German Count thinks that it is always necessary to remember who is who in the silent film history and if this little communication is useful for some dangerous longhaired youngster in discovering these films, that's a greatest reward for this German aristocrat.

In "Seven Years Bad Luck", Max accidentally breaks his full-length mirror. As superstitious people in France, he thinks that this means seven years' bad luck; many troubles happens at that very moment, loses his fiancée Betty and even winds up in jail, but fortunately at the end, everything will be all right for Max. The film had astounding, funny and remarkable gags as, one of Max's most famous, scene in which Max mimics himself in a mirror that doesn't exists or his tricks to get onto a train without being discovered by the station master. "Seven Years Bad Luck" it is a feature film that belongs to his American period ( he went to USA in 1916 engaged by "Essanay" ) and it is an excellent example of his impeccable style: elegant sense of humour, elaborated and imaginative gags that appeals to the intelligence and complicity of the audience, a delightful and unforgettable comedy.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must to change his top hat for a Teutonic helmet in order to be not mixed up with that French bourgeois impostor.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Max Linder was a gifted comic artist who made scores of charming short comedies in France, years ahead of Chaplin, the Keystone gang, and even John Bunny. Linder was a true pioneer, and in his best work he can transcend the passage of time and still move audiences today. Linder attempted to produce films in America on two occasions, first in 1917 and again in 1921-22, but he was never able to achieve the same level of success in the States that he had enjoyed in Europe. During his second production venture in the U.S. he made a feature-length comedy called Be My Wife that, based on the excerpt I've seen, must have been one of the best comedies he made in the U.S. He also produced a feature called Seven Years Bad Luck that's now available on DVD. This film is best remembered for Max's version of the famous "mirror routine," performed by Charlie Chaplin in The Floorwalker in 1916 and Charley Chase in Sittin' Pretty in 1924, but which is most widely known today due to its use by the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup. In Linder's version a badly hung-over Max stares through a picture frame, unaware that his mirror has shattered, while a servant on the other side mimics his every move.

The beautifully performed mirror routine is, far and away, the highlight of this movie. Max's facial expressions and movements (and those of the other actor) are exquisitely timed; Linder must have put a lot of effort into rehearsing this scene, and the result is a masterpiece of pantomime. Unfortunately, the mirror bit occurs during the first fifteen minutes of this feature's running time, and the adventures that follow never again rise to the same level of inspiration. Over all, despite a promising opening and a number of good sequences scattered about, I find the film disappointing. I've watched it twice and tried to figure out why, and I believe it comes down to a couple of key factors.

The first problem is that there's no tension in this rambling story. We learn early on that Max is wealthy and has no responsibilities. The basic premise is that, having broken his mirror, Max fears he's in for a rough time, and thus goes to great lengths to avoid anything that might cause him bad luck. Needless to say, his attempts to avoid bad luck only bring him more of it. Okay, it's a promising set-up, but Max has no larger goal aside from wanting to marry his (equally rich) fiancée. He just rambles from one misadventure to the next with nothing to prove and all the time in the world. In classics such as Buster Keaton's Seven Chances or Harold Lloyd's Girl Shy the writers came up with tight, time-sensitive plots that gave the stories suspense, but Linder's story is comparatively slack.

Next, although Max himself is usually a charming and genial leading man, the character he's playing here is strangely clueless and self-centered. In scene after scene he does things that make his character difficult to like: he stuffs a puppy into a flower pot; he speeds his car through a crosswalk, nearly hitting pedestrians; he tears a girl's clothes off (albeit accidentally) getting her in trouble with her father, then abandons her to her fate without a second thought. When tough guys steal his luggage and wallet we think he'll finally have to learn to live by his wits, and to some extent that's what happens, but Max's behavior remains essentially selfish and opportunistic. In a situation where allies are needed, Max simply uses people as long as he needs them, then casts them aside. At a train station a large man helps him get onto a train without a ticket, but then promptly vanishes. Remember when Harold Lloyd befriended the giant in Why Worry? Max never does anything like that here.

It isn't Max's social status as a wealthy playboy that's a turn-off; after all, both Keaton and Lloyd often played spoiled rich boys and still managed to earn audience sympathy. But they both knew that if their characters started out as ninnies they would have to eventually grow up, at least to some degree, and demonstrate that they'd learned something about life and about dealing with other people. At the end of Seven Years Bad Luck, despite all his misadventures, Max appears to be the same guy he was at the beginning, and if he's learned anything or grown as a person it doesn't show.

On the plus side this film features a number of good gags along the way, including a remarkable sequence in a zoo where Max becomes quite friendly with a lion. This bit, like the mirror sequence and other highlights, might very well play better excerpted from the whole. Seven Years Bad Luck isn't a bad movie, but it's a decided disappointment coming from the man Chaplin called his "Professor." For those interested in Max Linder I can recommend an excellent documentary put together by his daughter in the 1980s entitled The Man in the Silk Hat, which features clips from his best work and an outline of his life and career.

Max Linder does ... well, anyway, he was six years older than Chaplin, and Chaplin did give him credit for influencing some of Chaplin's work, which is evident in some scenes in this movie.

But Charlie was making movies in Hollywood as early as 1914, Keaton as early as 1917, and "Seven Years" was made in 1921.

Granted, Linder made other movies as early as 1905, the year America saw "The Great Train Robbery."

This movie, "Seven Years Bad Luck," is a joy. Even after nearly a hundred years, it is still funny, still clever, still creative.

It covers a lot of ground, from a servant-staffed mansion to a railroad station, with lots of action, and, more important, lots of laughs.

The mirror scene is, literally, classic -- incredibly well done, in fact so well done it was copied by the Marx Brothers and by Lucille Ball in a scene with Harpo on her "I Love Lucy" series.

That scene alone makes this movie worth watching.

Let me add this: This movie is fun, but there is an element of historicity that also makes this worth watching.

Linder was a model for other film comics; he was a creator; he was inventive.

That he is not better known speaks badly of motion pictures and their heritage.