Max Linder
Birthday: 1883-12-16
Place of Birth: Cavernes, Saint-Loubès, Gironde, France
Biography: Although all too frequently neglected by fans of silent comedy, Max Linder is in many ways as important a figure as Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or Harold Lloyd, not least because he predated (and influenced) them all by several years, and was largely responsible for the creation of the classic style of silent slapstick comedy. He started out as an actor in the French theatre, but after making his screen debut in 1905 he quickly became an enormously famous and successful film comedian on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to his character "Max", a top-hatted dandy. By 1912, he was the highest-paid film star in the world, with an unprecedented salary of one million francs. He began to direct films in 1911 and showed equal facility behind the camera, but his career suffered an almost terminal blow when he was called up to fight in World War I. He was gassed, and the illness that resulted would blight his career. Although offered a contract in America, recurring ill-health meant that his US films had little of the sparkle of his early French work, and a brief attempt to revive his career by making films for the recently-formed United Artists (one of whose founders, of course, was Chaplin) in the early 1920s came to little, although these later films are now regarded as classics. He returned to France and killed himself in a suicide pact with his wife in 1925.
Movies
Max Wishes He Hadn't
In consequence of a first kiss, poor Max finds himself claimed as a property of a persistent damsel....
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Seven Years Bad Luck
After breaking a mirror in his home, superstitious Max tries to avoid situations which could bring b...
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Le serment d'un prince
A young prince secretly married to a gypsy girl is forced to disclose the fact when his father desir...
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Max Speaks English
"Scene, a first-class railway carriage. Max and delightful girl alone. "May I smoke?" breaks the ice...
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Max and His Mother-in-Law
Max and his young bride attempt to enjoy an Alpine honeymoon, despite the presence of her mother....
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Max and His Dog Dick
When Max, a newly married man, suspects that his wife may be cheating on him, he gives his faithful ...
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Max the Heartbreaker
The story is about Max who in holiday in Switzerland meets two young American girls. They're friends...
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Max in a Taxi
A wealthy alcoholic is disowned by his father for his drunken behavior. Now penniless, he takes a jo...
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Max Takes Tonics
Max visits a doctor who prescribes a tonic (Bordeaux of Cinchona) for him to drink every morning. Up...
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Max Wants a Divorce
Max is forced to choose between losing his newly wedded wife and a fortune. He hits upon a brilliant...
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The Little Vixen
Max Linder is an ardent suitor for the hand of a somewhat rampageous young lady. The gentle Max suff...
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The Three Must-Get-Theres
In this movie, Max Linder parodies the famous novel "The Three Musketeers"....
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First Night Out
A young student goes to his father and asks for money. When this isn't enough he goes to his mother ...
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The False Max Linder
Auguste is cured! The doctor at the asylum said so. Delighted, his mother gives him a few coins so h...
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A Farmhouse Romance
Max is informed by his rich uncle that he's tired of supporting him. Instead, he has a farmer friend...
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Max's Hat
Max has been invited to meet with his in-laws and must dress formally, but each hat he attempts to w...
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Max Takes a Picture
Max attempts to take a photo of a woman in a bathing suit, waiting while she swims around. He's wait...
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Max Fears the Dogs
Max, who fears dogs, is chased by them through the city, over walls, and even up a chimney and onto ...
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Max Juggles for Love
Max wants to marry a lady. Inexplicably she insists she won't marry him until he learns to juggle! P...
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Max: Boxer By Love
Max officiates between two brawny boxers, then steps in against the cocky larger man, the acclaimed ...
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Max's First Job
Recommended by a friend of the Ambigu Theatre, Max is summoned to Joinville studios. His first role ...
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Max Gets Stuck Up
The film begins with Max being invited to dinner with his fiancée and future in-laws. To be polite, ...
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Romeo Turns Bandit
Based on characters from Shakespeare's play: When Juliet's father refuses to let Romeo see her, Rome...
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Max Plays the Part
Max sees himself as a great dramatic actor but his friends all think he's talentless. So, he invites...
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The Dentures
Mother in law gets a new set of dentures. Despite being initially happy, the family soon discovers t...
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Max and the Lady Doctor
Max visits a lady doctor for a chest cold and is alternately anxious and nervous and excited, in a r...
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Love's Surprises
A man, his wife and their two sons are having a meal. One of the sons leaves the room pretending to ...
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Max and the Donkey
Max Linder strays further from his usual haunts of situational comedy, far into straight slapstick a...
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Max and the Statue
Max starts out at a costume store to get a costume for a party. He sees a suit of armor and purchase...
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An Agitated Night
It is Max's wedding night, married to the beautiful Stacia Napierkowska. He and his bride are sleepi...
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The Romance of Max
The story is simple: Max and a pretty young lady, whom he has never met before, arrive at the same t...
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Max Sets the Fashion
Max, awakening on his wedding morning, discovers that it is close on the hour when he should be at t...
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His First Cigar
The film is quite sophisticated for it's time with a relatively large number of scene changes as we ...
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In a Difficult Position
Max, a young man about town, splits his trousers while getting ready to go out one night. After appl...
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Harlequin's Story
Polichinelle the servant (called Harlequin in the English language version) rescues his girlfriend f...
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Joined Lips
The setting is a postoffice. A well-to-do lady has brought her maid to lick the stamps. A man, the m...
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Max in Monaco
The extremely ludicrous adventures of an intoxicated man aboard a yacht....
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Max Takes a Bath
On doctor's orders Max buys a new bathtub, but Max struggles to fill it, and when he does, he can't ...
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Be My Wife
Max is determined to woo Mary, despite her Aunt Agatha's disapproval. Then, Max and Mary become embr...
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Au secours !
Max accepts a wager that he cannot remain in a haunted castle for one hour (11 PM to midnight) witho...
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Max and Jane Want to Do Theater
Max is a stage struck youth, and because of a deep-seated desire to go on the stage, refuses to cons...
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Max: Jockey for Love
Max meets the Countess Duvienne in a very distressing moment, for she has just learned that her jock...
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The Barometer of Fidelity
This Max Linder short opens with him and his girl blissfully rowing in a canoe before skipping ahead...
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Max Embarrassed
In this one, [Max] is on vacation and wooing a young lady, but she and her cousin decide to play a t...
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Cordial Agreement
Max and his friend, who came to visit him in Paris both fall in love with his new maid. The girl is ...
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Max Is Convalescent
To reassure his fans, Max Linder has been filming with his family at his place of convalescence......
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Long-Lasting Love
As a struggling artist, Max is not allowed to pay attentions to a girl by her father. Max decides to...
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The Water-Funker
Max is in love with Lili, capricious bride who won't do his will until he has recovered the ring she...
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Max's Vacation
Max is invited to join his uncle for a holiday, but he hasn't invited his wife, so he sneaks her in ...
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The Wedding Trunk
Max wants to marry his girl but one man stands in the way. Her guardian. And Max got to find a way t...
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C'est Papa qui a pris la purge
Boy tricks his father into drinking castor oil. The latter is obliged to defecate in a series of unl...
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Max and the Purse
Max being a gentleman and helping a lady in distress. Max willingly helps the lady recover her forgo...
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Max Linder Does All the Sports
Max reads in a newspaper, that Gladys Maxence, a rich American woman, seeks a young sportsman for ma...
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A Nervous Twitch Is Catching (Un Tic Nerveux Contagieux)
A young fellow, who is afflicted with a nervous disorder, gets fits of twitching, which is contagiou...
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Troubles of a Grass Widower
A housewife tires of her husband's annoying behavior and returns to her mother. At first, the husban...
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The World of Yesteryear – Max Linder
Some promotional footage shot for "Max, der Zirkuskönig"....
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Le Petit Café
Max is a millionaire who is forced to lead a double-life as a waiter, the result of having lost a wa...
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King of the Circus
Max suffers from drunkenness, but gets serious after he falls for the daughter of a circus director ...
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Max, Tango Teacher
Max is doing the Tango with Miss Leonora in a Berlin night club. Being impressed by the performance ...
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Max Toreador
Max Linder finds himself obsessed with bull fighting. This seems to echo the nature of the actual ma...
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Max Hates Cats
In this one, Max is engaged to a girl -- called, as in all his shorts, 'Jane' -- and she loves her p...
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Max Makes a Touch
Max and Mick, two brothers, have prepared for a merry spree and are actually stepping into their cab...
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A Short-Sighted Duellist
Astigmatic, Max apologizes to lampposts, kisses the wrong lady, and is challenged to a duel....
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Attempted Suicide
Suffering from unrequited love, Max hangs himself from a tree, and ends up hanging for hours while l...
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In Love with the Bearded Woman
Théodore (Max Linder) visits a fair/circus and becomes infatuated with a bearded woman in the show. ...
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The Theft of the Mona Lisa
This German crime drama was based on a true story. Willy Forst stars as a poverty-stricken Italian g...
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Max in the Convent
In this three-reeler, the young lady with whom he is in love is sent to a convent to get her away fr...
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Max Skiing
In a snowy Alpine district Max takes his first lessons in the art of skiing. He leaves the hotel wit...
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The Forced Marriage
Again Max is forced into marriage. If he doesn't marry soon he won't get any more money from his unc...
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I Want a Baby
Max and his wife of three years are happy in most regards but one: they still don't have a child. Wh...
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Max Plays at Drama
When Max's friends doubt his acting ability, he invites them to a dramatic theatrical performance....
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Life and Deaths of Max Linder
Searching for documentation about Max Linder, we found in an abandoned house a trunk sealed for 100 ...
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Max Takes Back His Freedom
"Max quarrels so with his wife that the lady leaves him. Our hero then attempts to do his own cookin...
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A Conquest
George, passing a pretty woman in the street, has recourse to that old-time trick of dropping his ow...
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Beginning of the Serpentine Dance
In a living room, four contemporary couples from the time the film was shot dance a waltz under the ...
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Laugh with Max Linder
Pioneering comedy legend Max Linder wrote, produced, directed and starred in Seven Years Bad Luck. H...
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The Effects of Pills
Max Linder is out of sorts and bad-tempered. He is rude to his wife, who tells him she will leave hi...
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Max se marie
Max has just been married, but is about to be divorced, because at his marriage party he disgraced h...
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Trop aimée
The versatile Max Linder heads a novel chase in this film, the pursuers being three dogs, the pets o...
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Max a un duel
Max, the celebrated fun maker, is shown in another of his amusing playlets. His fiancée, ere she mar...
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Max est distrait
Max acknowledges his father-in-law's dinner invitation with a business memorandum to his horse deale...
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Max émule de Tartarin
Max relates to Mona, staying for the winter sports in Switzerland, that he killed a magnificent bear...
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Un pari original
Max and his wife each blame the other for a nagging tongue. Max offers to bet his wife fifty pounds,...
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Max amoureux de la teinturière
Max is in love with a pretty girl, and one evening pays a stolen visit to his sweetheart's, whose fa...
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Le duel de Max
Max is in love with a charming girl, who also is already affianced to another. Does Max despair? Nev...
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Max as a Musician
Max loves a charming girl to distraction, but her father declares that his daughter shall never marr...
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The Man in the Silk Hat
A documentary with many excerpts from the films of French movie pioneer Max Linder, narrated by his ...
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Birth of the Tramp
A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall succ...
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Max Comes Across
The adventures of Max Linder, some based on real events, some fictional, as he travels by ocean line...
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Max Linder Visits Charlie Chaplin
Renowned French comedian and filmmaker Max Linder visits Charlie Chaplin in 1917....
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Noisy Neighbors
A young man is seen entering his room and from the many expressions on his worn face one could not d...
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Max's Latest Hobby
At the beach, amorous Max exchanges his shoes for those of a fair bather. The scheme goes awry, Lind...
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Max manque un riche mariage
Max is about to make his first call upon a young lady, the daughter of distinguished parents, and he...
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The Gentleman Thief
Max at an evening party takes a necklace from one of the guests and makes good his escape. The guest...
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Unforeseen Meeting
Both father and son want to meet their respective romantic appointments, without the other one knowi...
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Les Étudiants de Paris
A young man is sent away to law school in Paris. He enjoys himself until his parents come to visit a...
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Julot va dans le monde
Julot goes out into society for the first time. He is in his sunday best, but looks ridiculous. Afte...
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Those Were The Days
Reminiscences of the early days of cinema and films show in music halls, including extracts. (BFI)...
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Easter Parade
On the day before Easter in 1911, Don Hewes is crushed when his dancing partner (and object of affec...
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Max Linder Collection 1917-1922
Kino Classics and Lobster Films celebrate the legacy of Max Linder, a pioneer of comedy whom Charlie...
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The Way of the World
A long-retired director of early silent films recalls his exciting career as a filmmaker....
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