Disappointed to learn that his favourite stage actress only married him on a drunken whim, a humble dry cleaner eventually gets the opportunity to truly win over his wife's heart in this Buster Keaton silent comedy. Not often cited as one of Keaton's better films, 'Spite Marriage' has a somewhat haphazard plot built on a series of unlikely coincidences that conveniently set up the protagonist to save the day. Keaton himself is as charming and likable as ever though and there are several amusing moments early on as he causes chaos when cast in his future wife's latest play. Keaton's best stunts and gags come out in the final third though with some great moments as he ends up teaming up with the stage actress to get out of a sticky situation. Interestingly enough, Keaton reportedly did not want the film to be a silent feature, but was overruled; in its current form, the movie features applause sound effects but otherwise just music like most silent films. It is, however, hard to imagine 'Spite Marriage' working better with audible dialogue. Keaton's comedy style is of course very physical and here he manages to convey quite a bit of emotion through looks and stares alone.
Review of Spite Marriage
