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Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1920 Vision of Larry Semon
Few works in United States cinema carry the same weight as The Suitor, especially regarding the technical innovation that Larry Semon introduced to the Comedy format. Subverting the expectations of the typical 1920 audience, it bridges the gap between traditional Comedy and contemporary vision.
In The Suitor, Larry Semon pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
| Cinematography | Handheld |
| Soundtrack | Experimental |
| Editing | Invisible |
| Art Direction | Kitsch |
Visualizing the convergence of Larry Semon's style and the core Comedy narrative.
Larry suspects that Millionaire Manybucks has some well defined reason for not wanting him to marry his daughter, inasmuch as the staff of the household has met him with uninterrupted violence. After skidding on his nose down the stone steps Larry realizes that no one, save the girl, craves his company. However, he is determined and braves the house again only to suffer ignominious defeat. A brilliant reception is to be held for the daughter. The Lizard, a polished adventurer, with whom most of the household help are in league, aims to attend and win the girl. At the affair, which is a magnificent spectacle, the girl and her father scorn him. Indignant, he orders his aids to destroy the father, A cigar loaded with T.N.T. is given the father, who does not smoke it, tut tosses it out the window where Larry finds it and has it taken away from him by a policeman. The officers smokes it and it completely disrobes the officer. This failing, the biscuits are laden with explosives and with these and the heiress' playful monkey much havoc is wrought. The villains dash through the house to steal the heiress. The momentum hurls them through the upper windows into a fountain in the garden. The police hold a net for the heroine. Before Larry can follow her the net is removed and he is forced to land on his nose. The major-domo follows him in flight and Larry sees his heiress kidnapped by airplane by the Lizard, He leaps aboard a motorcycle, catches a rope ladder dangling from the aircraft and disables the machine a thousand feet above the ground. The heiress and himself drop to earth in parachutes. The air plane makes a nose dive and is wrecked with the villain, Larry takes the propeller and drives his rival into the ground. He wins the heiress with this last bold stroke.
Decades after its release, The Suitor remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Larry Semon's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.