"[Harry] Langdon's magic was in his innocence, and Capra took beautiful care not to meddle with it...Langdon became quickly and fantastically popular with three pictures, Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, The Strong Man and Long Pants; from then on he went downhill even faster." - James Agee
I certainly enjoyed this Langdon film better than Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926). For one, Langdon's nonplussed, child-like personality is really funny here. Nowhere is this more apparent than a scene where a prostitute tries to get his attention by dramatically fainting in public. He pauses, regards her, and walks away. And yes, this whole sequence is a vignette designed solely to stretch out the film's runtime, but it still works. One of the best scenes in the film involves Langdon doing shtick for his blind girlfriend. There's a lovely shot of him bashfully hiding his blushing face behind his hat. Overall, the film sorta stumbles about until the third act. But what a third act! Acrobatics and madness that would impress even Buster Keaton!
7/10
0 Comments