Comedy
United States of America
Spite Marriage is a 1929 silent comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Buster Keaton. The plot revolves around a naive pants presser named Elmer who is hopelessly infatuated with a famous stage actress named Trilby Drew. Elmer spends his evenings watching Trilby perform at the theatre and sending her love letters and flowers.
One day, Trilby's ex-boyfriend, a wealthy playboy named Lionel Benmore, returns to town. Trilby wants to make him jealous, so she enlists Elmer's help in making it look like they are engaged. Elmer is overjoyed at the prospect of marrying his idol, but he soon realizes that it is all a ruse to make Lionel jealous.
Despite being heartbroken, Elmer goes through with the wedding and takes Trilby on a disastrous honeymoon in the mountains. Meanwhile, Lionel is watching from afar and becomes increasingly jealous. Trilby eventually realizes that she actually has feelings for Elmer, but Lionel kidnaps her and takes her back to the city.
Elmer, with the help of his best friend, sets out to rescue Trilby and win her heart for real. The film ends with a thrilling chase through the city streets, during which Elmer finally proves his worth to Trilby.
Spite Marriage was a box office success and marked the end of Keaton's creative peak as a solo filmmaker. It was also his final silent film before transitioning to talkies. Despite mixed reviews at the time, the film is now regarded as a charming and funny romantic comedy with classic Buster Keaton gags and stunts.
