IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
An unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the ac... Read allAn unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.An unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
Jack Byron
- Giovanni Scarzi
- (as John Byron)
Joe Bordeaux
- Rumrunner
- (uncredited)
Ray Cooke
- The Bellboy
- (uncredited)
Mike Donlin
- Man in Ship's Engine Room
- (uncredited)
Pat Harmon
- Tugboat Captain
- (uncredited)
Sydney Jarvis
- Man in Audience Next to Elmer
- (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch
- Actor as 'Union Officer'
- (uncredited)
Hank Mann
- Stage Manager
- (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan
- Tough Sailor
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Edward Sedgwick
- Buster Keaton(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBuster Keaton wanted this film to be a full talkie, but MGM released it with only a musical score and sound effects. One thing that prevented this picture from being a full talkie was that MGM was late to the sound game and had only one full set of recording equipment at the time. Its Loew's Theater chain also was not yet fully equipped to show sound pictures. Plus, MGM's head of production reasoned Keaton's films were made with a lot of time-consuming improvisations and didn't think the added expense of using valuable, scarce sound equipment was worth it.
- GoofsIn the dressing-room, while attempting to trim the hair for his false beard, Elmer accidentally severs the left-hand shoulder strap of his tank-top undershirt and has no time to repair it. When he hurriedly changes back into his smart clothes after the performance, both straps are still whole.
- Quotes
Trilby Drew: What's that blonde hanging around you for?
Lionel Benmore: Can I help it if I'm good-looking?
- Crazy creditsRather than appear at the beginning, the MGM roaring lion opening appears after the conclusion of the film, but just before "The End" title, which immediately follows it.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Arena: Cinema: Christmas Special (1976)
- SoundtracksI'd Rather Be Blue Over You
(uncredited)
Music by Fred Fisher
Lyrics by Billy Rose
Played as background music at the cafe
Featured review
Should be canonised as a true Buster Keaton film; this one has his signature.
It has the name of his collaborator on the Director's credit, but this film has Buster's signature all over it. Despite being the final silent feature directed by (or "directed" by, if MGM prefers) this film has gotten overlooked. This happened because of rights issues more than anything else; along with The Cameraman and Free and Easy, it is owned by MGM, so it has ended up not being canonised along with the other Keaton films that always get collected together by Kino or Masters of Cinema or such-like.
Compared to Parlor Bedroom and Bath, this is The General. It has that same eloquence and poetry as Buster's earlier films, with the main differences being 1) no pork pie hat and 2) facial expressions. It is seriously strange to see Buster pulling faces, even mugging a little bit. Its still quite funny when he does it, and it remains classy, unlike in the talking pictures, but still... So many films without a single expression...
The best bit is the sequence near the end when Buster's boat is boarded by pirates, there's a hilarious sequence where the girl distracts the pirates and Buster bonks them on the head with those sugarglass bottles they used in silent films. Had me laughing out loud a few times and won me over by the end.
7/10
Compared to Parlor Bedroom and Bath, this is The General. It has that same eloquence and poetry as Buster's earlier films, with the main differences being 1) no pork pie hat and 2) facial expressions. It is seriously strange to see Buster pulling faces, even mugging a little bit. Its still quite funny when he does it, and it remains classy, unlike in the talking pictures, but still... So many films without a single expression...
The best bit is the sequence near the end when Buster's boat is boarded by pirates, there's a hilarious sequence where the girl distracts the pirates and Buster bonks them on the head with those sugarglass bottles they used in silent films. Had me laughing out loud a few times and won me over by the end.
7/10
helpful•30
- Ben_Cheshire
- May 10, 2015
- How long is Spite Marriage?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Matrimonio forzado
- Filming locations
- Hotel Carmel - 201 Broadway St, Santa Monica, California, USA(Lionel confronts Buster outside this hotel on the 2nd Street side - still in business in 2022)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 16 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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