Max Linder
Encyclopedia
Max Linder was an influential French pioneer of silent film
.
, Gironde
, France to a Catholic wine-growing family, he grew up with a passion for the theatre and as a young man joined a theatre troupe touring the country. While working in Paris on the theatre stage and in music hall
s, Leuvielle became fascinated with motion pictures and in 1905 took a job with Pathé Frères that saw him become a comedic actor, director, screenwriter, as well as a producer under the stage name
, Max Linder. Linder was the younger brother of celebrated French rugby player Maurice Leuvielle (b. June 28, 1881 in Saint-Loubès).
his start in movies, but the silent medium did not suit Chevalier, who stuck to the stage until the all-singing all-dancing features came in, many years later.
World War I
brought a temporary end to Linder's career in film. Physically unfit for combat duty, he worked as a dispatch driver during the war until he was shot through the lung, and seriously wounded. Initially, it was reported by one newspaper that he had been killed, however Linder actually phoned the offending publishers, leading them to run the headline "Max Linder Not Killed"
. When Chaplin left his employer, the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, for more money and independence, Essanay tried to replace him with Max Linder, whose pantomime skills were equally accomplished. Linder came to the United States to work for Essanay, but his first few American-made "Max" films didn't make the same impression as the Chaplin shorts. The financially troubled studio may have been counting on Linder to restore its flagging fortunes; in any case Essanay could no longer afford to sustain the series, and cancelled production of the remaining films on his contract.
Linder returned to France in 1917 but two years later made another attempt at filmmaking in Hollywood. Once more he failed to establish himself in American productions; discouraged, he went back to his homeland. After having made several hundred short films, he all but gave up on the business, appearing in only two more films during 1923 and 1924 including "Au Secours!
" (Help!) for director Abel Gance
.
. In 1923, he married a 17-year old Jane Peters with whom he had a daughter named Maud Max Linder (also known as Josette). The emotional problems besetting Linder evidenced themselves when he and his wife made a suicide pact
. In early 1924 they attempted suicide at a hotel in Vienna, Austria. They were found and revived, the incident being covered up by the physician reporting it as an accidental overdose of barbituates. However, in Paris on October 31, 1925 Linder and his wife were successful in taking their own lives. They drank Veronal, injected morphine and cut open the veins in their arms. The suicide was inspired by the movie Quo Vadis
.
. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival
. In his honor, Lycée Max Linder, a public school in the city of Libourne
in the Gironde
département near his birthplace was given his name. Max Linder was buried at the Catholique cimetière de Saint-Loubès.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
.
Birth and early career
Born Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle in Saint-LoubèsSaint-Loubès
Saint-Loubès is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
, France to a Catholic wine-growing family, he grew up with a passion for the theatre and as a young man joined a theatre troupe touring the country. While working in Paris on the theatre stage and in music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
s, Leuvielle became fascinated with motion pictures and in 1905 took a job with Pathé Frères that saw him become a comedic actor, director, screenwriter, as well as a producer under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Max Linder. Linder was the younger brother of celebrated French rugby player Maurice Leuvielle (b. June 28, 1881 in Saint-Loubès).
Film
Max Linder created what was probably the first identifiable motion-picture character who appeared in successive situation comedies. Linder made more than one hundred short films portraying "Max," a wealthy and dapper man-about-town frequently in hot water because of his penchant for beautiful women and the good life. By 1911, he was directing his own films as well as writing the script, and the universality of silent films brought Linder fame and fortune throughout Europe, making him the highest paid entertainer of the day. Interestingly, he gave Maurice ChevalierMaurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
his start in movies, but the silent medium did not suit Chevalier, who stuck to the stage until the all-singing all-dancing features came in, many years later.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
brought a temporary end to Linder's career in film. Physically unfit for combat duty, he worked as a dispatch driver during the war until he was shot through the lung, and seriously wounded. Initially, it was reported by one newspaper that he had been killed, however Linder actually phoned the offending publishers, leading them to run the headline "Max Linder Not Killed"
United States
In 1916, the most popular comedian in the world was Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. When Chaplin left his employer, the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, for more money and independence, Essanay tried to replace him with Max Linder, whose pantomime skills were equally accomplished. Linder came to the United States to work for Essanay, but his first few American-made "Max" films didn't make the same impression as the Chaplin shorts. The financially troubled studio may have been counting on Linder to restore its flagging fortunes; in any case Essanay could no longer afford to sustain the series, and cancelled production of the remaining films on his contract.
Linder returned to France in 1917 but two years later made another attempt at filmmaking in Hollywood. Once more he failed to establish himself in American productions; discouraged, he went back to his homeland. After having made several hundred short films, he all but gave up on the business, appearing in only two more films during 1923 and 1924 including "Au Secours!
Au Secours!
Au Secours! is a 1924 short comedy film directed by Abel Gance and starring Max Linder. The title roughly translates into English as, 'help!'...
" (Help!) for director Abel Gance
Abel Gance
Abel Gance was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. He is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse , La Roue , and the monumental Napoléon .-Early life:...
.
Depression and suicide
As a consequence of his war service, Linder suffered from continuing health problems, including bouts of severe depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. In 1923, he married a 17-year old Jane Peters with whom he had a daughter named Maud Max Linder (also known as Josette). The emotional problems besetting Linder evidenced themselves when he and his wife made a suicide pact
Suicide pact
A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
. In early 1924 they attempted suicide at a hotel in Vienna, Austria. They were found and revived, the incident being covered up by the physician reporting it as an accidental overdose of barbituates. However, in Paris on October 31, 1925 Linder and his wife were successful in taking their own lives. They drank Veronal, injected morphine and cut open the veins in their arms. The suicide was inspired by the movie Quo Vadis
Quo vadis
Quo vadis? is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?" or "Whither goest thou?" The modern usage of the phrase refers to Christian tradition, related in the apocryphal Acts of Peter , in which Saint Peter meets Jesus as Peter is fleeing from likely crucifixion in Rome...
.
Legacy
After Max Linder's death, Chaplin dedicated one of his films: "For the unique Max, the great master - his disciple Charles Chaplin". In the ensuing years, Linder was relegated to little more than a footnote in film history until 1963 when a Max Linder compilation film titled Laugh with Max Linder was released, and in 1983 his daughter made a documentary film titled The Man in the Silk HatThe Man in the Silk Hat
The Man in the Silk Hat is a 1983 French documentary film about the films of the French silent film star Max Linder, directed by his daughter, Maud Linder. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:...
. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival
1983 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*William Styron *Henri Alekan *Yvonne Baby *Sergei Bondarchuk *Youssef Chahine *Souleymane Cissé *Gilbert de Goldschmidt *Mariangela Melato *Karel Reisz...
. In his honor, Lycée Max Linder, a public school in the city of Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
in the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
département near his birthplace was given his name. Max Linder was buried at the Catholique cimetière de Saint-Loubès.
In popular media
- Linder is referenced in Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Inglourious Basterds where the owner of a cinemaMovie theaterA movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in Nazi occupied ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1944, Shosanna Dreyfus, says that she will be having a Max Linder festival. The relative merits of Linder and ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
are then discussed by the German soldier, Frederick Zoller, who argues that Linder is superior to ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
while also admitting that Linder never made anything as good as The KidThe Kid (1921 film)The Kid is a 1921 American silent dramedy film written by, produced by, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, and features Jackie Coogan as his adopted son and sidekick. This was Chaplin's first full-length movie...
.
Selected filmography
- The Skater's Debut (1907)
- Max and His Mother-in-LawMax and His Mother-in-LawMax and His Mother-in-Law is a 1911 French film directed by Max Linder, Lucien Nonguet.The film is also known as Max and His Ma-in-Law .- Plot summary :...
(1911) - Max Takes TonicsMax Takes TonicsMax Takes Tonics is a 1911 French film directed by Max Linder.The film is also known as Max and His Prescription and Victime du quinquina ....
(1911) - Max and His Dog (1912)
- Max's Hat (1913)
- Max and the Jealous Husband (1914)
- Max in America (1917)
- Max in a Taxi (1917)
- Max Wants a Divorce (1917)
- Seven Years Bad LuckSeven Years Bad LuckSeven Years Bad Luck is a comedy film written and directed by, and starring, Max Linder.In the film, a servant breaks his master's mirror while messing around with a maid, and covers up his mistake by having the chef pretend to be his master's reflection.-Cast:* Max Linder – Max Linder* Alta Allen...
(1921) - Be my wifeBe My Wife (1921 film)Be My Wife is a 1921 silent comedy film written, directed and starring Max Linder.- Plot summary :Max and Mary are in love, but Mary's Aunt Agatha dislikes Max, and instead prefers the unappealing Simon. So Max has to resort to a series of ruses to try to get Simon out of the way, and to be able to...
(1921) - The Three Must-Get-TheresThe Three Must-Get-TheresThe Three Must-Get-Theres is a 1922 silent film directed by Max Linder. The film follows the plot of the novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is also meant as a parody of the previously released 1921 film The Three Musketeers, starring Douglas Fairbanks....
(1922) - Au Secours!Au Secours!Au Secours! is a 1924 short comedy film directed by Abel Gance and starring Max Linder. The title roughly translates into English as, 'help!'...
(Help!) (1924)