This is one of the few surviving films of the once-famous silent comedian, Max Linder. Although practically unknown today, he was in the early part of the 20th century, the world's most famous comedian--though he was soon eclipsed by Chaplin and others.
I think I've seen perhaps eight or so of Linder's films. And unfortunately, this is a lot, as very few more films exist today that I am aware of. Like most early films, the bulk have simply degraded over time or were thrown away! So, despite his having made almost 200 films, there isn't much evidence today of whether the man was a film genius. While some of his films I have seen are very good, this one is one that is very unlikely to convince you he was a noteworthy actor. Most of this is because the plot is so very simple and because the punchline is, at times, hard to understand. I watched the film a couple times to understand exactly what had occurred.
Max is very fashionable guy who is about to get married. In the process of getting ready, he accidentally sets his shoes on fire. Having no other shoes, he buys some cruddy looking shoes off a guy on the street--even though they are way too big. When he shows up, people seem horrified, so he leaves the party in shame. Upon returning, ALL the guests have similar shoes--apparently he's sparked a new fashion trend! A rather mediocre story with few big laughs--you could do better.
