Summary
Marie Dressler commands the screen as Aggie, a formidable "tiny tot" of ample proportions whose life is a series of dramatic "agonies," often mitigated only by her cherished mixed ale. Her domestic sphere, presided over by a plaster-of-Paris-bread-baking father and a perpetually weeping mother, is disrupted by the arrival of Cuthbert Caramel, a suitor whose earnest affections are met with Aggie's tempestuous embrace. Their burgeoning romance, however, hits a snag when Aggie discovers Cuthbert's peculiar habit of taking snuff, plunging her into a profound emotional crisis that sends her devoted beau packing. Her subsequent "agging" – a term as unique as her character – is quelled only by the restorative powers of her beloved brew. The true antagonist soon emerges in the form of the nefarious Itching Mitt, a conniving villain whose gang of twelve knitting desperadoes serves his singular ambition: to marry Aggie's considerable fortune. Posing as a Food Commission representative, the smooth-talking Mitt infiltrates Aggie's home, charming her sufficiently to dispatch a huffy Cuthbert. With diabolical cunning, he laces Aggie's ale with "Beevo," rendering her unconscious. The Mitt's henchmen, with theatrical flair, spirit the limp Aggie away via conspicuous ladders and a waiting wagon to their draped den. There, Aggie's spirited defiance reasserts itself, culminating in a physical confrontation with the Mitt and his entire gang. Subdued but unbroken, she endures the agonizing "ale torture," a cruel deprivation designed to force her consent to marriage. Meanwhile, the distraught parents, discovering the Mitt's incriminating note, enlist the services of a preternaturally gifted detective, whose unconventional weapon of choice is potent Limburger cheese. Armed with this olfactory deterrent and a clothes-pin for his own nose, the detective, closely followed by a trembling Cuthbert, bursts into the villain's lair. Just as the Mitt, in a moment of triumphant villainy, proclaims, "She's mine - Cheese Mine!" the overpowering aroma of the Limburger cheese neutralizes the entire gang, allowing Aggie to collapse dramatically into Cuthbert's waiting arms, her "agonies" temporarily assuaged by both rescue and a well-deserved swig of ale.
Synopsis
Aggie is a tiny tot, weighing some two hundred, with a fondness for mixed ale. Her father is a baker, who hands out plaster of Paris bread to the poor and her mother is constantly in tears over the agonies of Agnes. Cuthbert Caramel, Aggie's wooer, comes to call with a bouquet for her. Aggie is overjoyed, makes love to Cuthbert and floors him with her tempestuous embrace. On that fatal visit, Aggie discovers the one weakness of the otherwise perfect Cuthbert - he takes snuff. She at once has another agony, her young heart is about to break. She sends him from her, crying, "Must this love depart from my life?" Then she "ags" considerably till her distracted father and mother give her mixed ale and she is herself again, though a bit woozy. The villain is the Itching Mitt, served by a gang of 12 desperate followers who pass their idle time knitting. The Itching Mitt resolves to become the husband of Aggie's money, summons his gang to his for be-draped den and reveals his dark plot to "get" Aggie by putting Beevo into her ale. So on the fatal evening when Cuthbert is calling on Aggie and they chew a stick candy from the box he has brought her, the Mitt calls as a representative of the Food Commission. Aggie is taken with the handsome stranger and Cuthbert departs in a huff. The Mitt offers Aggie ale, slyly drops Beevo into her glass and she succumbs. He summons the waiting gang, who leap in at the window and make off with the limp Aggie, down over the front porch via two large and conspicuous ladders. They toss her into a wagon and rush her to the den of the Mitt. There Aggie comes to, "ags" considerably, to the amusement of the gang, who "agg" her on till the Mitt sets about subduing her proud spirit. She wallops the Mitt and all the gang, till they bind her and give her the ale torture - setting the ale in sight, without allowing her to drink, till the maddened woman promises to marry Mitt and he lets her drink. Meantime the father and mother find the note left by Mitt in their parlor, call the great detective and break the news to Cuthbert who is overcome. The great detective reaches the den of the Mitt armed with powerful Limburger cheese, whose virtues he has been investigating for long time. With the cheese in his hand and a clothes pin on nose, the detective bursts into the Mitt's den, followed closely by the trembling Cathbert. Just as the Mitt proclaims in triumph, while Aggie swills ale, "She's mine - Cheese Mine!" the cheese overcomes the Mitt and his gang and Aggie falls into the arms of her Cathbert.
Review Excerpt
"
A Grandiose Spectacle of Absurdity and Affection: Deconstructing "The Agonies of Agnes"
Step back into the nascent days of cinema, a time when narratives unfolded through hyperbolic gestures and the expressive power of a performer's face. In this vibrant epoch, Marie Dressler, a force of nature both on stage and screen, delivered a performance in "The Agonies of Agnes" that remains a benchmark for early comedic genius. This isn't merely a film; it's a boisterous carnival of human foibl..."
