The Trap

Anybody who complained that Lon Chaney was too monotonously jolly in the earlier 'Nomads of the North' (1920) can seek refuge in this astonishing old school melodrama in which he starts out playing a superficially similar character of very similar appearance; but which then proceeds to cram several eventful years sometimes reminiscent of 'Silas Marner' into just 60 minutes (did the film really race through its incredible plot so quickly when it first opened?) and Chaney hurtles from one emotion to another from vengeful rage to tenderness.

I don't know how much of the plot stands up to more measured consideration - and the way some of the characters evolved and their interrelationships shifted didn't even convince me at the time - but, like Chaney's hammy but compelling performance as Gaspard the Good, sweeps you along and keeps your attention right up to the equally unconvincing but satisfying conclusion.

...from director Robert Thornby. Chaney plays French-Canadian miner Gaspard, an illiterate but good-natured fellow who hopes to strike it rich with his gold mine and marry his sweetheart Thalie (Dagmar Godowsky). Things go south when slick city-boy Benson (Alan Hale Sr.) comes to town, swindling Gaspard out of his mine and stealing his girl, too. Gaspard swears revenge and has Benson sent to prison after a set-up. Gaspard then kidnaps Benson's young son (Stanley Goethals) in order to engineer his final vengeance, a horrifying trap set for Benson upon his return.

I won't reveal the details of the end trap, but it's typically bizarre, like a lot of stuff in Chaney's movies. The whole thing only runs an hour, which seems about right. Chaney is good, although his French patois title cards get old.

In the happy French-Canadian village of Grand-Bellaire, simple-minded miner Lon Chaney (as Gaspard) leads an idyllic life. In the spring, he works his mine and plays with children; Mr. Chaney is "filled and thrilled at the joy of being alive, with trust and love for all mankind in his heart." Chaney's radiant life comes to an abrupt halt, however, when greedy Alan Hale (as Benson) steals both his mine and his girl, Dagmar Godowsky (as Thalie).

For seven years, Chaney is consumed with hate; he is lonely, crushed, and beaten. Meanwhile, Mr. Hale and Ms. Godowsky fall on hard times; he is unable to profit in mining, and she becomes terminally ill. The unhappy couple's only success is their cute five-year-old son Stanley Goethals (as "The Boy"). Obsessed with revenge, Chaney gets his chance when he declines to back-up Hale during a barroom incident; and, Hale is sent to prison. After Godowsky dies, Chaney gets custody of "The Kid" (Goethals), whom he plans to abuse…

This formulaic film combines themes found in Lon Chaney's own "The Penalty" (1920) with Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" (1921). It is, understandably, not as good as its film cousins; but, Chaney's great performance and its excellent production values, handled by Robert Thornby (director) and Virgil Miller (photographer), make "The Trap" worth getting into.

******* The Trap (5/9/22) Robert Thornby ~ Lon Chaney, Alan Hale, Stanley Goethals

Trap, The (1922)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Incredibly far-fetched and melodramatic film has Lon Chaney playing Canadian miner Gaspard, a good-hearted man who has his mine and love of his life (Dagmar Godowsky) stolen by the no good Benson (Alan Hale). Years later Benson shoots a man in self defense but Gaspard testifies that it was a planned so that Benson gets sent off to prison while at the same time his wife, Gaspard's ex, dies and her son just happens to go to Gaspard. Things take an even stranger twist as Gaspard begins to have feelings for the boy just as his father is about to be released from prison. All of this "plot" happens in a 45-minute span so needless to say there's really not too much development and in the end this melodrama is mainly going to be for those who must see everything Chaney has done. Fans of Chaney will enjoy his performance here even if it's certainly not one of his best. Chaney had a remarkable talent to make you feel pity for his characters and that's the case here. This character is almost too nice and then too mean to be believable but Chaney is able to pull it off. Hale is also good in his role as the bad guy but Godowsky doesn't have too much to do. Stanley Goethals is pretty good as the child Chaney falls for. The IMDb lists Lon Chaney, Jr. has having a small part playing "a boy's hands" but I wasn't able to spot such a scene. The story itself is just way too far-fetched for one to really have any emotional connection to. It takes a matter of ten-minutes for Chaney's character to turn from a great man to a bitter one and then back to a great man and this simply isn't enough time for his character to grow on you. Another problem is that everything seems extremely rushed from the plot to the silly conclusion, which just comes off very badly. I'm really not sure if this was originally longer or not but there appears to be something missing. THE TRAP isn't a very good movie and there's really nothing too memorable about it so those interested in Chaney will be the only ones willing to stick around till the end.

The print of this film is so washed out I had to keep freeze framing to read the intertitles. It doesn't help that the particular copy I was watching kept sticking throughout. Still photos of Lon Chaney & Irene Rich taken on the set of this movie show that the cinematography was top notch and not the mess this video presentation indicates. Chaney's character (Gaspard the Good) is a similar northwoods trapper with nearly identical makeup to the Raoul character in "Nomads of the North"(gosh how many trappers did Chaney play in his career?) The character Gaspard is tricked out of his land by the film's villain Benson (Alan Hale Sr.). Though the Chaney character has been wronged, he is quite unlikable. This makes the viewer more irritated because the print is so crappy. Actor Herbert Standing's scenes are so washed out & obliterated that you can't see his face. This movie, though similar in theme to "Nomads of the North", is such a 100% turnabout from the pleasures of that movie. Both in story and film preservation. Stanley Goethals, the cute kid from Chaney's "Outside the Law", is given an almost identical though less engaging role here. His cuteness in "Outside the Law" was accentuated by the charm of Priscilla Dean in the apartment scenes. In "The Trap" his cuteness is dissipated by the unlikable adults around him. Why would Chaney want to raise the child born from his enemy(Hale) and his former girlfriend (Dagmar Godowsky; in a most unflattering & brief role), who had left him for Hale? Where was Child Protective Services when you needed them? Leading lady Irene Rich, a beautiful actress who appeared in many silent films, is reduced to looking like a drab schoolmarm(she's actually playing the local teacher). She hasn't the chance to shine like Betty Blythe in "Nomads of the North". Still photos from the set of the movie show Irene Rich wearing a pretty Betty Crocker type checkered dress. You can't tell in the print of the film because her face & body are so washed out. I realize that the condition of the print of this film is one of the reasons I give it a negative review. The music score is monotonous & uninvolved with the action on the screen. "The Trap" certainly did not look like this when new and had likely been released tinted and toned. If asked 'have you seen a bad Lon Chaney film'? I'd say no!, but this movie almost came close. The enjoyment of a silent film depends so much on the visual quality of the action you're watching. I waited a long time to see this film & am somewhat disappointed. If a better print shows up, I'll think about doing another review when I can see the action. Also I don't recognize any evidence of Creighton Chaney(aka Lon Jr) in this print of "The Trap", in which his hands are supposedly seen. Lastly Chaney fans should appreciate that this film 'survives' in any kind of condition. directed by Robert Thornby, Universal Pictures.