I saw "Lèvres collées" in October 2006 at the Cinema Muto festival in Sacile, Italy. The print was on loan from Filmarchiv in Vienna.
For some reason, this French film's English release title was 'Joined Lips'. In fact, a more faithful translation of the original French title would be 'Glued Lips' ... and that would also be a more accurate description of this movie's plot, as well as a funnier title.
A woman and a man are engaged in affixing a large number of gummed postage stamps to envelopes. They periodically interrupt this activity for some kissing. Unfortunately, their method of moistening the stamps is licking them ... so, by rapidly taking it in turns between licking the stamps and kissing each other ... well, you can guess. Primitive physical comedy, but more imaginative (and more romantic) than pratfalls or watering the gardener with his own hosepipe.
The actress in this crude film is uncredited. The actor is Max Linder, a vitally important figure in the early days of screen comedy. Chaplin's tramp character was very largely inspired by Linder, as Chaplin himself admitted. At the peak of his career (including his three American comedies), Linder portrayed a top-hatted dandy, a boulevardier who was equal to any occasion. Despite the Chaplin link, the screen comedian most similar to Linder was probably Raymond Griffith.
At this early point in his film career, Linder has not yet fully developed his 'Max' character. Sadly, Linder was gassed in the Great War: he appears to have been permanently afflicted, both physically and psychologically. He eventually killed himself before the arrival of talkies, also killing his last wife (who co-starred in several of his late films.) Linder was a prolific film comedian, but many of his early shorts are crude and formulaic. Still, it's regrettable that so many of them have apparently not survived: because Max Linder films are now so rare, any piece of Linder footage has historic significance. But 'Glued Lips' is one of his less interesting films, and I'll rate this one merely 4 out of 10.
When this short film was screened at Sacile, something weird happened at the end which made the woman seem to transform into a man. A sex-change comedy, as early as 1907? No; I think the problem is a break and a splice in the Filmarchiv print, which caused the audience to miss something. It would be nice to have a print of this film from another source, to be certain.
For some reason, this French film's English release title was 'Joined Lips'. In fact, a more faithful translation of the original French title would be 'Glued Lips' ... and that would also be a more accurate description of this movie's plot, as well as a funnier title.
A woman and a man are engaged in affixing a large number of gummed postage stamps to envelopes. They periodically interrupt this activity for some kissing. Unfortunately, their method of moistening the stamps is licking them ... so, by rapidly taking it in turns between licking the stamps and kissing each other ... well, you can guess. Primitive physical comedy, but more imaginative (and more romantic) than pratfalls or watering the gardener with his own hosepipe.
The actress in this crude film is uncredited. The actor is Max Linder, a vitally important figure in the early days of screen comedy. Chaplin's tramp character was very largely inspired by Linder, as Chaplin himself admitted. At the peak of his career (including his three American comedies), Linder portrayed a top-hatted dandy, a boulevardier who was equal to any occasion. Despite the Chaplin link, the screen comedian most similar to Linder was probably Raymond Griffith.
At this early point in his film career, Linder has not yet fully developed his 'Max' character. Sadly, Linder was gassed in the Great War: he appears to have been permanently afflicted, both physically and psychologically. He eventually killed himself before the arrival of talkies, also killing his last wife (who co-starred in several of his late films.) Linder was a prolific film comedian, but many of his early shorts are crude and formulaic. Still, it's regrettable that so many of them have apparently not survived: because Max Linder films are now so rare, any piece of Linder footage has historic significance. But 'Glued Lips' is one of his less interesting films, and I'll rate this one merely 4 out of 10.
When this short film was screened at Sacile, something weird happened at the end which made the woman seem to transform into a man. A sex-change comedy, as early as 1907? No; I think the problem is a break and a splice in the Filmarchiv print, which caused the audience to miss something. It would be nice to have a print of this film from another source, to be certain.
