Stan Laurel plays a book salesman who has a series of encounters, mostly revolving around a young woman who might be evicted by her lecherous landlord. Along the way, Stan dresses up as a dog, gets chased down Sunset Blvd circa 1922, and keeps running into an annoying woman who gives this short film its title.
The first miracle of The Pest is how it turns a threadbare one-reel yarn into a prism of metropolitan anxiety: every doorway yawns with rent-day menace, every passer-by might morph into creditor or savior. Stan’s book salesman arrives armed only with paperbacks and a grin that doubts itself; the city greets him with ...
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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson
Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson
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" The first miracle of The Pest is how it turns a threadbare one-reel yarn into a prism of metropolitan anxiety: every doorway yawns with rent-day menace, every passer-by might morph into creditor or savior. Stan’s book salesman arrives armed only with paperbacks and a grin that doubts itself; the city greets him with slamming gates, snarling curs, and the predatory arithmetic of lease renewals. Director Renaud—little lionized beyond specialist circles—conducts this pandemonium with a metronomi..."
Mae Laurel
Renaud
United States
