You can expect many things from Lon Chaney. The one thing is a masterful performance. His characters almost always have pathos. This is a characteristic, attributed to Charlie Chaplin. Lon Chaney was a master of it. He also knew how to use makeup. He did his own for his characters. It was before makeup was done by professionals, like Jack Pierce. Chaney spends most of the movie as a circus clown, named He.
Chaney’s clown was once a professor, named Paul Beaumont working on theories. His work was backed by a man named Baron Regnard, (Marc McDermott). The time finally comes for Beaumont to prove his theories before the scientific community. He does not get the opportunity. Regnard claims them as his own, and dismisses Beaumont as delusional. That alone is devastating. There is still one more thing left to destroy Paul Beaumont’s life. His wife, Marie, (Ruth King) is leaving him for Regnard.
This is the final piece of humiliation, that turns Beaumont into He. A new life is found. Beaumont’s clown is slapped continuously by other clowns, as part of the entertainment. This seems an unusual way for Beaumont to forget his past. He settles into circus life, and finds someone who gives him feelings. That someone is Consuelo, (Norma Shearer), one of the star performers. Her heart belongs to Bezano, (John Gilbert), her costar.
He sees Consuelo’s love for Bezano. This convinces the sad clown, to profess his love to her. Consuelo laughs at it, thinking He is just being funny. He is downtrodden. This is only the beginning. One night, while performing, He spots Baron Regnard in the audience. He is affected by this, but doesn’t let on. There is open clowning with the Baron. Regnard says he hates clowns, and He says “I don’t like barons.” This is one of the cleverest and funniest lines of the film.
He is content to forget about the Baron. The Baron has other plans. They involve Consuelo. The immoral baron has left his wife Marie, and plans to marry Consuelo. Her father, Count Mancini,(Tully Marshall) is happy to give her to the Baron, for a small fee. This is upsetting to Consuelo, because she loves Bezano. Her unhappiness does not concern her father. He only wants the status her marriage will bring to him. He finds out about the marriage plans. It enrages him, and sets off a plan for revenge against Baron Regnard.
Lon Chaney had played many characters who were deformed physically. His clown is scarred mentally, and hides it. Chaney worked with clowns to get the right performance. He does a terrific job. There wasn’t much direction needed, because Chaney was a master of his craft. He was a stage actor, before heading to Hollywood. Victor Sjostrom was probably there if something was needed. The director made a very different film with Chaney and it succeeded both artistically and financially. Sjostrom made a statement about the film in the beginning credits. There are clowns dancing around the earth. It shows foreshadowing of the story. Another element is the neon sign, advertising He Who Gets Slapped. It takes a lot to make a movie. The efforts of the director and Chaney show how a fine one can be done.