The Trap (1922)
17KThe Trap (1922). 1h
“In the happy French-Canadian village of Grand-Bellaire, simple-minded miner Lon Chaney (as Gaspard) leads an idyllic life. In the spring, he works his mine and plays with children; Mr. Chaney is u0026quot;filled and thrilled at the joy of being alive, with trust and love for all mankind in his heart.u0026quot; Chaneyu0026#39;s radiant life comes to an abrupt halt, however, when greedy Alan Hale (as Benson) steals both his mine and his girl, Dagmar Godowsky (as Thalie).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor seven years, Chaney is consumed with hate; he is lonely, crushed, and beaten. Meanwhile, Mr. Hale and Ms. Godowsky fall on hard times; he is unable to profit in mining, and she becomes terminally ill. The unhappy coupleu0026#39;s only success is their cute five-year-old son Stanley Goethals (as u0026quot;The Boyu0026quot;). Obsessed with revenge, Chaney gets his chance when he declines to back-up Hale during a barroom incident; and, Hale is sent to prison. After Godowsky dies, Chaney gets custody of u0026quot;The Kidu0026quot; (Goethals), whom he plans to abuse u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis formulaic film combines themes found in Lon Chaneyu0026#39;s own u0026quot;The Penaltyu0026quot; (1920) with Charlie Chaplinu0026#39;s u0026quot;The Kidu0026quot; (1921). It is, understandably, not as good as its film cousins; but, Chaneyu0026#39;s great performance and its excellent production values, handled by Robert Thornby (director) and Virgil Miller (photographer), make u0026quot;The Trapu0026quot; worth getting into. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e******* The Trap (5/9/22) Robert Thornby ~ Lon Chaney, Alan Hale, Stanley Goethals”
