Max, the Heartbreaker

Max Linder, while pretty much forgotten today, was one of the first big film comedians. His films predated those of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd and are much subtler than the slapstick fare of the day.

In "Max Between Two Fires" ("Max Entre Deux Feux"), Max is interested in two ladies from America. At first, he and the ladies play little jokes on each other which, frankly, aren't all that interesting. However, after this the movie improves as Max separately woos each of them. He loves that the two are now fighting over him--but the last laugh is on him.

All in all, one of the more successful Linder films, as it maintains its momentum and is a cute story--not just a bunch of laughs. Clever, cute and rather charming.