On 1 November 1925, Max Linder died by his own hand at the age of just 41. The pioneering French comedian, whose film career spanned 20 years, was a troubled figure off-screen, prone to de­pression and breakdowns, and no strang­er to substance abuse. Linder managed to survive what may have been a previ­ous, failed suicide attempt in late Febru­ary 1924, when he overdosed on sleeping pills while in Vienna filming King of the Circus (which would turn out to be his swansong). Interestingly, one of the earliest films he acted in, the 1906 Pathé production Le Pendu, was distributed in English speaking territories as The Man Who Hanged Himself and At­tempted Suicide; an eerie coincidence in light of Linder’s own fate.

The footage contained in this short film, which was possibly shot for a news­reel, preserves images from Linder’s fu­neral in Saint Loubès on 5 November 1925.

Oliver Hanley