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76-400: Seven Years Bad Luck is a 1921 American comedy film written and directed by, and starring Max Linder . A man about to be married becomes fearful of bad luck when he breaks a mirror. Max Linder returns home drunk after his bachelor party . The next morning, he is awakened by a loud noise. His valet John, while chasing his pretty maid, has broken his mirror. John claims Mary, the maid, dropped

152-434: A dandy -ish demeanor. Linder was chosen to take over the characterization for Pathé, and the style of dress and personality of Gréhan's character became his trademark. Film critic David Robinson described Linder's screen persona as "no grotesque: he was young, handsome, debonair, immaculate...in silk hat, jock coat, cravat, spats, patent shoes, and swagger cane." Linder made more than one hundred short films portraying "Max",

228-554: A suicide pact . On 24 February 1924, they were both found unconscious at a hotel in Vienna, though this was explained as an accidental overdose of "sleeping powder." In late October 1925, Max and Hélène reportedly attended a Paris screening of Quo Vadis (in which two characters, Petronius and his slave Eunice, as a reporter put it, "bleed themselves to death"), and died in a similar manner. They drank Veronal , injected morphine and slashed their wrists. Peters died first, while Linder

304-443: A "natural" resistance to pests. The implementation of mechanical harvesting is often stimulated by changes in labor laws, labor shortages, and bureaucratic complications. It can be expensive to hire labor for short periods of time, which does not square well with the need to reduce production costs and harvest quickly, often at night. However, very small vineyards, incompatible widths between rows of grape vines and steep terrain hinder

380-489: A Bath and the autobiographical Max Linder's Film Debut , which fictitiously recreates the legend of Linder's early film career and includes Charles Pathé as himself. By the end of the year, Linder had become the most popular film actor in the world. Although actress Florence Lawrence is often referred to as " The First Movie Star " in the United States, Linder appears to be the very first worldwide movie star with

456-584: A Divorce were complete failures, but the third film, Max and his Taxi was moderately successful. The financially troubled studio may have been counting on Linder to restore its flagging fortunes and cancelled production of the remaining films on Linder's contract. Max and his Taxi had been shot in Hollywood and while there Linder had developed a close friendship with Charlie Chaplin. They would often attend events such as boxing matches or car races together, and according to writer Jack Spears, "while working on

532-529: A German patrol in icy water for several hours. After being dismissed from his duties, Linder spent the remainder of the war entertaining the troops and making films. It was also during this period that Linder had his first serious bout with chronic depression . In 1916, Linder was approached by American film producer George K. Spoor , the president of the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company , to make twelve short films for him in

608-514: A Max Linder festival. The relative merits of Linder and Chaplin are then discussed by the German soldier, Frederick Zoller, who argues that Linder is superior to Chaplin while also admitting that Linder never made anything as good as The Kid . The documentary film The Mystery of the King of Kinema portraits Linder and his impact through interviews (including Maud Linder), silent film excerpts and

684-547: A Max Linder movie theater had opened in Paris. At the height of his fame, Linder ended 1910 with a serious illness. He was forced to stop making films when appendicitis left him bedridden, and some newspapers reported that he had died. He eventually recovered the following spring and began making films again in May 1911. In 1911, Linder returned to filmmaking and began co-directing his own films (with René LePrince) as well as writing

760-492: A bewildering range of systems and techniques in recent years. Due to the often much more fertile New World growing conditions, attention has focussed heavily on managing the vine's more vigorous growth. Innovation in palissage (training of the vine, usually along a trellis, and often referred to as "canopy management") and pruning and thinning methods (which aim to optimize the Leaf Area/Fruit (LA/F) ratio relative to

836-548: A career in the legitimate theater. He became a contract player with the Bordeaux Théâtre des Arts from 1901 to 1904, performing in plays by Molière , Pierre Corneille , and Alfred de Musset . From the summer of 1905, Linder appeared in short comedy films for Pathé , at first usually in supporting roles. His first major film role was in the Georges Méliès -like fantasy film The Legend of Punching . During

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912-539: A career in the theater and became a contract player with the Bordeaux Théâtre des Arts from 1901 to 1904, performing in plays by Molière , Pierre Corneille and Alfred de Musset . At the same time that he was performing in serious dramatic theater, he became friends with Charles le Bargy of the Comédie-Française . Le Bargy encouraged Linder to audition for the Conservatoire de Paris in 1904. Linder

988-471: A dispatch driver between Paris and the front lines. Many conflicting stories about the reasons behind his dismissal from the army exist, including that he was shot through the lung, and seriously wounded. Initially, it was reported by one newspaper that he had been killed; Linder actually phoned the offending publishers, leading them to run the headline "Max Linder Not Killed". However, others have asserted that he became infected with pneumonia after hiding from

1064-634: A garden. Max Linder had been relegated to little more than a footnote in film history until a compilation film titled Laugh with Max Linder premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was theatrically released. The film was a compilation of Linder's last three films made in Hollywood and its release was supervised by Maud Linder . In 1983, Maud Linder made a documentary film, The Man in the Silk Hat , about Linder's life and career. It

1140-571: A head injury. He was arrested in Nice later that month for "kidnapping a minor", who happened to be his future wife, the seventeen-year-old Hélène "Ninette" Peters. They had planned to run away to Monte Carlo . Upon Linder and Peters' first encounter at a hotel in Chamonix , Linder was entranced by her, exclaiming to a friend, "I spent the whole night in a hotel lounge talking to the most extraordinary girl I could ever imagine. Instantly I knew this to be

1216-669: A major following. In Russia, he was voted the most popular film actor, ahead of Asta Nielsen . He also had a Russian impersonator, Zozlov, and a devoted fan in Czar Nicholas II . Another professed fan was British playwright George Bernard Shaw . The first feature film ever made in Bulgaria was a remake of one of Linder's earlier movies. He was offered $ 12,000 to spend a month in Berlin making public appearances with his film screenings, but had to decline for health reasons. In France,

1292-412: A napkin. By the time Max drags himself out of bed, Mary has cleared away the broken glass and John has gotten Max's chef to dress just like their employer. Then, when Max looks into the non-existent glass, the chef mimics his every action. Max finally realizes he is being tricked, but while he is in the other room, John sneaks in a repairman to fix the mirror. Thus when Max flings something at what he thinks

1368-467: A picture Linder would go next door to Chaplin's home and discuss the day's shooting. The two often sat until dawn, developing and refining the gags. Chaplin's suggestions were invaluable, Linder said." Linder returned to France in 1917 and opened a movie theater, the Ciné Max Linder. However, due to his depression and anxiety about the still ongoing war, he was unable to continue making films on

1444-475: A record, then dances with her maid, and finally starts wildly playing the piano. His nonchalant behavior infuriates Betty, and she sends him packing again. Max asks his friend to go see Betty to try to patch things up, but his friend wants Betty for himself. He lies to her, telling her Max has decided to marry one of his old girlfriends. When Betty seeks some way to obtain revenge, the friend suggests she marry him. She assents. His hopes dashed, Max decides to take

1520-458: A regular basis, and was often quoted by journalists about the horrors of the front lines. After the Armistice in 1918, Linder was able to regain his enthusiasm and agreed to make a film with director Raymond Bernard , the feature length The Little Café in 1919. In the film, Linder plays a waiter who suddenly becomes a millionaire, but simultaneously is tricked into a twenty-year contract to be

1596-450: A salary of one million francs a year, and Charles Pathé used the huge sum to generate publicity, with an ad reading "We understand that the shackles which bind Max Linder have attained the value of one million francs a year...the imagination boggles at such a figure!" This set a precedent in the entertainment industry for actors' salaries that would become a staple of the Hollywood system, but privately Pathé nicknamed Linder "The Napoleon of

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1672-416: A series of "Léonce" slapstick shorts that were popular but nowhere near the stature of Linder's films. Charles Prince, on the other hand, was gaining popularity during his career and was nearly equal to Linder by the beginning of World War I . Prince's screen persona was "Rigadin", who like "Max" was a bumbling bourgeois socialite who always got into trouble. Both Linder and Prince were employed by Pathé in

1748-498: A sister, Marcelle, was born. Max developed a particular affection for her. Marcelle, along with Suzanne and Jean, appeared in Max's film Max Is Convalescent (1911) and Marcelle starred alongside Max in Max, The Heartbreaker (1917). In 1899, Linder enrolled in the Conservatoire de Bordeaux and quickly won awards for first prize in comedy and second prize in tragedy. He continued to pursue

1824-534: A suicide pact, and sometimes as a murder-suicide." In addition, Maud Linder reported in her memoir that the head of the workmen at Linder's house in Neuilly overheard Max tell a friend, probably Armand Massard, that he planned to kill his wife along with himself, as he could not bear the thought of her belonging to another after he was gone. Linder was buried at the Catholique cimetière de Saint-Loubès. His wife

1900-506: A supporting role. His first noticeably larger film role was in The Young Man's First Outing in 1905. He also appeared in Georges Méliès -like fantasy films such as Serpentine Dances and The Legend of Punching , his first leading role. His rise to stardom commenced in 1907 when Pathé's slapstick star René Gréhan left the company to join Éclair . Gréhan's screen character was Gontran, whose persona included high-society clothing and

1976-471: A train trip. He is robbed at the station, so he sneaks aboard. The conductor spots him, though, and a chase ensues. Max gets off at the next station. The station agent has taken an unauthorized break, leaving his daughter in charge. Max disguises himself as the agent, inadvertently saving the man's job when the conductor asks for him. After more hijinks, he manages to reboard the train, leaving the pesky conductor behind. The conductor, however, wires ahead, and Max

2052-518: A vineyard's microclimate ) have largely replaced more general, traditional concepts like "yield per unit area" in favor of "maximizing yield of desired quality". Many of these new techniques have since been adopted in place of traditional practice in the more progressive of the so-called "Old World" vineyards. Other recent practices include spraying water on vines to protect them from sub-zero temperatures, new grafting techniques, soil slotting, and mechanical harvesting. Such technique have made possible

2128-551: A waiter by the cafe owner. The film made over a million francs in Europe and briefly revived his career, but was financially unsuccessful in the US. Four years after failing to become a major star in the U.S., Linder made another attempt at filmmaking in Hollywood and formed his own production company there in 1921. His first film back in the U.S. was Seven Years Bad Luck , considered by some to be his best film. The film contains one of

2204-521: A wealthy and dapper man-about-town frequently in hot water because of his penchant for beautiful women and the good life. With this character, he had created one of the first identifiable motion-picture characters who appeared in successive situation comedies. Linder's first appearance as "Max" was in The Skater's Debut in 1907. Lake Daumesnil in Paris had frozen over and director Louis Gasnier filmed Linder in his new attire, with Linder improvising

2280-453: Is a satire of swashbuckling films made by Douglas Fairbanks and is loosely based on the plot of Alexander Dumas ' The Three Musketeers . The film was praised by Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin, but again failed at the box office. At the films premiere, Linder had said to director Robert Florey "You see, Bob, I sense that I'm no longer funny; I have so many preoccupations that I can no longer concentrate on my film character ... The public

2356-540: Is an imposter, he breaks the mirror himself, much to his surprise. Now he fears he has brought seven years bad luck on himself (a well-known superstition ). He goes to see Betty, his fiancée. While waiting, he has her maid (a psychic) read his palm . She warns him that she sees danger in the form of a dog, so he takes Betty's small pet and sticks it in a vase. When Betty sees what he has done, she breaks up with him. She reconsiders and asks him to come back, but when he does, he has to wait for her once again. He first puts on

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2432-564: Is arrested at the next stop. He gets away at first, jumping on an elephant and loitering in a cage full of lions, but is eventually jailed. By chance, when he is brought before the judge, he sees Betty and his false friend there to get married. He and Betty reconcile. Max Linder Born in Cavernes, France to Catholic parents, Linder grew up with a passion for theater and enrolled in the Conservatoire de Bordeaux in 1899. He soon received awards for his performances and continued to pursue

2508-479: Is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Upon receiving the news of Linder's death, Chaplin is reported to have closed his studio for one day out of respect. In the ensuing years, his jealous and alcoholic elder brother won custody of sixteen-month-old heiress Maud Linder to get the girl's fortune, before her grandmother (Hélène's mother) legally fought back and took over. Meanwhile, many of his films were lost because most reels had been buried unprotected in

2584-670: Is essentially a horror film set in a haunted house , with occasional moments of comedy by Linder. The film was released in England in 1924 and was critically praised, however the legal copyright of the film prevented it from being released in France or the US for several years. Linder's last film was The King of the Circus directed by Édouard-Émile Violet (with pre-production collaboration from Jacques Feyder ) and filmed in Vienna in 1925. In

2660-412: Is known as viticulture . Vineyards are often characterised by their terroir , a French term loosely translating as "a sense of place" that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted to the wine itself. The earliest evidence of wine production dates from between 6000 and 5000 BC. Wine making technology improved considerably with

2736-427: Is mildly amused by my situations, but this evening where were the explosions of laughter that we hear when Charlie's on the screen?...Make people laugh, its easy to say make people laugh, but I don't feel funny anymore." With his depression making it difficult for him to work, Linder returned to France in 1922 and shortly afterwards made a semi-serious film: Au Secours! ( Help! ) for director Abel Gance . The film

2812-465: Is that the genre shifted from the "knockabout" comedies made by such people as Mack Sennett and André Deed to a more subtle, refined and character driven medium that would later be dominated by Chaplin, Buster Keaton , Harold Lloyd , and others. Linder's influence on Chaplin is apparent both from Chaplin's sometimes borrowing gags or entire plot-lines from Linder's films, as well as from a famous signed photo that Chaplin sent Linder which read: "To Max,

2888-486: The University of California, Davis , and California State University, Fresno , among others, have been conducting scientific experiments to improve viticulture and educate practitioners. The research includes developing improved grape varieties and investigating pest control. The International Grape Genome Program is a multi-national effort to discover a genetic means to improving quality, increasing yield and providing

2964-622: The Cinema". The high point of Linder's career was from 1912 to 1914. His films were made with increased skill and "Max" was at his funniest. He made such films as Max Virtuoso , Max Does Not Speak English , Max and His Dog , Max's Hat and Max and the Jealous Husband . His ensemble of actors included Stacia Napierkowska , Jane Renouardt, Gaby Morlay , and occasional performances from the young actors Abel Gance and Maurice Chevalier . Linder had given Chevalier his start in movies, but

3040-488: The Italian film company Itala , leaving Linder as the company's leading comedic actor. Later in 1909, Gasnier returned from Italy and immediately began working with Linder again. The team made several shorts in 1909 with Linder in various roles, such as a blind elderly man and a coquettish young woman. But they soon discovered that the character of "Max" was the most popular with audiences and stuck with him from then on. Among

3116-758: The Leuvielle family's plantation was attacked by grape phylloxera . Jean and Suzanne heavily considered emigrating to America, and embarked on a trip to New York in search for propitious offers. During their trip, Max and Maurice remained in France with their grandmother Jeanne. Nothing became of Jean and Suzanne's plans to emigrate, as it was discovered that the French vines could be replaced with American plants, which were sturdier and resistant to phylloxera. While in New York, Suzanne gave birth to Max's younger brother, Gérard. They returned to France, and, two years later,

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3192-488: The Minister of War, an ambassador and the police commissioner, all of whom challenge him to a duel and present him with their business cards. Eventually "Max" is apprehended by the police, who attempt to return him to his residence, but end up mistakenly taking him to the homes of the various men whom he had previously fought with. The universality of silent films brought Linder fame and fortune throughout Europe, making him

3268-699: The New World is significant. Europe's 1.6 million vineyards are an average of 0.2 km (49 acres) each, while the average Australian vineyard is 0.5 km (120 acres), providing considerable economies of scale . Exports to Europe from New World growers increased by 54% in the six years up to 2006. There have also been significant changes in the kinds of grapes that are grown. For example, in Chile, large areas of low-quality grapes have been replaced with such grapes as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon . In Argentina, due to an economic down-turn, acreage of Malbec

3344-569: The Professor, from his disciple, Charlie Chaplin." Mack Sennett and King Vidor also singled out Linder as a great influence on their directing careers. His high society characterizations as "Max" also influenced such actors as Adolphe Menjou and Raymond Griffith . In his heyday, Linder had two major rivals in France: Léonce Perret and Charles Prince . Perret later became a successful director, but his early career included

3420-628: The Spanish-American actor Julio Perillán characterized as Linder and voicing answers from old press interviews. Perillán was nominated to the Goya awards for best lead actor. Vineyard A vineyard ( / ˈ v ɪ n j ər d / VIN -yərd , UK also / ˈ v ɪ n j ɑːr d / VIN -yard ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production

3496-598: The US at a salary of $ 5,000 a week. Earlier that year, Charlie Chaplin , then the most popular comedian in the world, had left Essanay for more money and independence at Mutual Film and Spoor wanted to replace Chaplin with Max Linder, whose pantomime skills were arguably equally accomplished. Linder was offered a new contract from Charles Pathé, but accepted Spoor's offer and moved to the United States to work for Essanay later that year. Unfortunately his first few American-made "Max" films were unpopular both critically and financially. The first two, Max Comes Across and Max Wants

3572-692: The ancient Greeks but it was not until the end of the Roman Empire that cultivation techniques as we know them were common throughout Europe. In medieval Europe the Catholic Church was a staunch supporter of wine, which was necessary for the celebration of the Mass . During the lengthy instability of the Middle Ages, the monasteries maintained and developed viticultural practices, having the resources, security, stability and interest in improving

3648-411: The development of "T" budding now permits the grafting of a different grape variety onto existing rootstock in the vineyard, making it possible to switch varieties within a two-year period. Local legislation often dictates which varieties are selected, how they are grown, whether vineyards can be irrigated and exactly when grapes can be harvested, all of which in serves to reinforce tradition. Changes in

3724-428: The development of wine industries in New World countries such as Canada. Today there is increasing interest in developing organic , ecologically sensitive and sustainable vineyards. Biodynamic wine has become increasingly popular in viticulture. The use of drip irrigation in recent years has expanded vineyards into areas which were previously unplantable. For well over half a century, New York's Cornell University ,

3800-520: The earliest (though not the first ) examples on film of the "human mirror" gag best known in the scene between Groucho and Harpo Marx in Duck Soup twelve years later. Linder next made Be My Wife later that year, but again neither films were able to find a major audience in the U.S. Linder then decided to dispense with the "Max" character and try something different for his third (and final) attempt: The Three Must-Get-Theres in 1922. The film

3876-527: The early 1910s and they often used the same story lines, sets and directors. Years after both comedians' careers were long over, Linder has received several revivals in interest while Charles Prince remains mostly forgotten. Linder is referenced in Quentin Tarantino 's Inglourious Basterds where the owner of a cinema in Nazi occupied Paris in 1944, Shosanna Dreyfus, says that she will be having

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3952-585: The employment of machine harvesting even more than the resistance of traditional views which reject such harvesting. Numbers of New World vineyard plantings have been increasing almost as fast as European vineyards are being uprooted. Between 1990 and 2003, the number of U.S. vineyards increased from 1,180 to 3,860 km or 292,000 to 954,000 acres, while Australian vineyard numbers more than doubled from 590 to 1,440 km (146,000 to 356,000 acres) and Chilean vineyards grew from 654 to 1,679 km (161,500 to 415,000 acres). The size of individual vineyards in

4028-631: The film, "Max" joins a circus in order to be closer to the woman that he loves. The film includes such gags as a hungover "Max" waking up in a department store and the film's plot is similar to the Charlie Chaplin film The Circus (1928). In late 1925, Linder was working on pre-production for his next film Barkas le fol , which would never be made. As a consequence of his war service, Linder had continuing health problems, including bouts of severe depression and several mental breakdowns. It has been said that he evoked "tantrum-like appearances at

4104-458: The following years, Linder made several hundred short films portraying "Max", a wealthy and dapper man-about-town frequently in hot water because of his penchant for beautiful women and the good life. Starting with The Skater's Debut in 1907, the character became one of the first identifiable motion-picture characters who appeared in successive situation comedies. By 1911, Linder was co-directing his own films (with René LePrince) as well as writing

4180-531: The fruit, rather than foliage. The terroir philosophy is predominantly French in origin, the flavour and character of the place defining the individuality and the special attributes of wines and combined with hundreds of years of the finest wine making traditions, terroir gives wines their distinctive taste and signature. However, wildfires in California and Australia have also influenced the character of vineyard plantations and grapes in those areas. A vignette

4256-492: The highest paid entertainer of the day, with a salary increase of 150,000 francs (the average monthly salary in France was 100 francs at the time). He began touring Europe with his films from 1911 to 1912, including Spain, where he entertained thousands of fans at the Barcelona railway station, Austria, and Russia, where he was accompanied on piano by a young Dimitri Tiomkin . In 1912 after the tour, Linder demanded and received

4332-794: The law can also change which grapes are planted. For example, during Prohibition in the U.S. (1920–1933), vineyards in California expanded sevenfold to meet the increasing demand for home brewing. However, they were largely planted in varieties with tough skins that could be transported across the country to home wine-makers and the resulting wine was of a low quality. According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine , in April 2015, China (799,000 hectares or 1,970,000 acres) overtook France (792,000 hectares or 1,960,000 acres) in terms of land devoted to vineyards, in second place behind Spain (1,000,200 hectares or 2,472,000 acres),

4408-425: The popular "Max" films made by Linder and Grasnier in 1909 are A Young Lady Killer and The Cure for Cowardice . By 1910, Linder had proved himself to Pathé and was quickly becoming one of the most popular film actors in the world. When Gasnier was sent to the United States later that year to oversee Pathé's productions there, Lucien Nonguet took over as Linder's director. Together they made such films as Max Takes

4484-544: The quality of their vines. They owned and tended the best vineyards in Europe, and vinum theologium was considered superior to all others. European vineyards were planted with a wide variety of the Vitis vinifera grape. In the late 19th century, the entire species was nearly destroyed in an event known as the Great French Wine Blight , in which the grape pest phylloxera , an insect related to aphids ,

4560-569: The rest. In the film, "Max" falls about and does a rendition of "the windmill routine" by spinning his cane around, predating Charlie Chaplin 's version in The Rink by nine years. Pathé was unimpressed with the film and re-shot parts of it, and it was not popular with audiences when released. Soon afterwards, Gasnier left Pathé and moved to Italy, leaving Linder without a supporter at Pathé; he made few films in 1908. His luck began to change when Pathé's top comedy star, André Deed , left to work with

4636-425: The resulting wine may be virtually undetectable. Vineyards are often located on hillsides and planted in soil that is of only marginal value to other plants. A common saying is that "the worse the soil, the better the wine." Planting on hillsides, especially those facing north (in the southern hemisphere) or south (in the northern hemisphere), is most often in an attempt to maximize the amount of sunlight that falls on

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4712-486: The scripts. Linder enlisted at the outbreak of the First World War, and worked at first as a dispatch driver and entertainer. During his service, he was injured several times, and the experiences reportedly had a devastating effect on him both physically and mentally. Linder later moved to the U.S. but was unable to achieve success. He died in 1925 in a purported suicide pact with his wife in Paris. Max Linder

4788-421: The scripts. By 1912, he was the solo director of his films. Gaining complete control over his own films brought positive results both critically and commercially; the films Linder made during this period are generally considered to be his best. Max, Victim of Quinine is considered by film critic Jean Mitry to be "his masterpiece." In the film, an intoxicated "Max" gets into numerous fights with such dignitaries as

4864-414: The silent medium did not suit Chevalier, who stuck to the stage until the all-singing all-dancing features came in, many years later. The outbreak of World War I brought a temporary end to Linder's film career in 1914, but not before he made the short patriotic film The Second of August that year. Linder attempted to enlist in the French army, but was physically unfit for combat duty. Instead he worked as

4940-446: The stage for the next two years and was not a significant film star at first. However, an often-told legend about the origins of Linder's film career is that French film producer Charles Pathé personally saw Linder on the stage and wrote him a note that read "In your eyes lies a fortune. Come and act in front of my cameras, and I will help make it." From 1905 to 1907, Linder appeared in dozens of short comedy films for Pathé, usually in

5016-483: The studio". Director Édouard-Émile Violet recalled that Linder seemed invariably "unstable, worried..." Linder also became a heavy user of opium in the 1920s, which could have further harrowed his mind. During his war service, Linder was involved in a car accident; he was thrown out of the vehicle and badly injured. In early April 1923, Linder was involved in a second near fatal car accident in Nice , which resulted in

5092-415: The traveling theater and circus performances that occasionally visited his town. He later wrote that "nothing was more distasteful to me than the thought of a life among the grapes." As a child, Linder fell victim to a severe case of cholera . He survived by resting in the oven of the village baker. The heat from the oven supposedly brought down the infection to a manageable level. In the spring of 1888,

5168-486: The vineyard. For this reason, some of the best wines come from vineyards planted on quite steep hills, conditions which would make most other agricultural products uneconomic. The stereotypical vineyard site for wine grapes (in the Northern hemisphere) is a hillside in a dry climate with a southern exposure, good drainage to reduce unnecessary water uptake, and balanced pruning to force the vine to put more of its energy into

5244-546: The woman in my life." They married on 2 August 1923 at the Parisian church of St. Honoré d'Eylau. The two lived in an apartment at 11 Bis Avenue Émile Deschanel. Linder is said to have been a fiercely jealous and mentally abusive husband. He would often accuse his young wife of being unfaithful and threaten to "end her". Whenever he went to town alone in the evenings, he would call her to make sure that she had not gone out without his consent. Linder and his wife may have made

5320-407: The world's largest producer. Terroir refers to the combination of natural factors associated with any particular vineyard. These factors include things such as soil, underlying rock, altitude, slope of hill or terrain, orientation toward the sun, and microclimate (typical rain, winds, humidity, temperature variations, etc.). No two vineyards have exactly the same terroir, although any difference in

5396-445: Was accidentally introduced to Europe from North America. Native American grapevines include varieties such as Vitis labrusca , which are resistant to the insect. Vitis vinifera varieties were saved by being grafted onto the rootstock of Native American varieties, although there is still no remedy for phylloxera , which remains a danger to any vineyard not planted with grafted rootstock. The quest for vineyard efficiency has produced

5472-408: Was born Gabriel Leuvielle near Saint-Loubès , Gironde . He was called "Max" from a young age. His parents, Jean and Suzanne (née Baron), were wealthy vineyard owners and expected Linder to take over the family business; his older brother Maurice (28 June 1881 – 14 December 1959) had become a celebrated national rugby player. But Linder grew up with a passion for theater, and was enthralled by

5548-640: Was rejected and began appearing in less prestigious theaters such as the Olympia Theater and the Théâtre de l'Ambigu . By 1905, he had adopted his stage name of Max Linder and used it in several theatrical performances. Also during this period, Linder applied for work at Pathé Frères in Vincennes at the suggestion of film director Louis Gasnier and began appearing in small bit parts, mostly in slapstick comedies. Linder continued to appear on

5624-605: Was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival . In 1992, Maud Linder published a book about Linder in France, Max Linder was my father and in 2008 she received the Prix Henri Langlois for her work to promote her father's legacy. In his honor, Lycée Max Linder , a public school in the city of Libourne in the Gironde département near his birthplace was given his name in 1981. Linder's influence on film comedy and particularly on slapstick films

5700-486: Was significantly reduced in the 1980s, but in the 1990s, during the quality revolution incited by Malbec Pioneer Nicolás Catena Zapata, growers started planting more Malbec, most notably in higher altitudes where cooler temperatures and more intense sunlight yield more concentrated yet smoother and more complex malbecs. Grape changes are often in response to changing consumer demand but sometimes result from vine pull schemes designed to promote vineyard change. Alternatively,

5776-631: Was unconscious throughout 31 October, with doctors fighting to keep him alive. He died after midnight on 1 November. There is still some question, however, as to whether the deaths were really a result of a suicide pact, or whether Max murdered his much-younger wife or pressured her into killing herself. On 2 November 1925, The New York Times reported that Hélène Linder had told her mother by letter that, "He will kill me." The article also claims that "no one believes she herself opened her veins." Critic Vincent Canby acknowledged in 1988 that "Linder died with his young wife in what has sometimes been described as

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