The Matrimaniac

This is a pretty familiar topic for silent films and it came up later in films by Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton (among others). A guy and his girl are trying to elope but the controlling father and the jilted fiancé are in hot pursuit. However, despite it being a pretty complex and well-made film for 1916, I can't rate the film any higher because the film just forgot to be funny. Maybe some of this is due to it being a Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. film--and he wasn't all that well-known for comedy but for action and adventure. But most of the blame is probably the fault of the writers and director. It honestly looked almost like they weren't sure if they were making a comedy or a romantic drama and this hybrid result just isn't all that compelling. The film needed more sight gags and stunts or else it should have tried much harder in the romance department. As it is, it's just an interesting historical curio--one you don't need to see but one that is pleasant enough if you do give it a chance.

By the way, this film is included on the same videotape from Kino Video as THE NUT--another Fairbanks comedy. Unlike THE MATRIMANIAC, THE NUT is an exceptional comedy and really surprised me by how adapt Fairbanks was with comedy. Plus, in THE NUT, you get to see a very amusing BRIEF cameo by Fairbanks' buddy, Charlie Chaplin--as Charlie himself plays a Chaplin impersonator!