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L’obsession de la belle-mère
Also known as Tormented by His Mother-in-Law in the USA
(1908) France
B&W : Short film
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: Max Linder [Monsieur Bienmariés]
Compagnie Genérale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes production; distributed by Compagnie Genérale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The film was released in the USA as Tormented by His Mother-in-Law (at 344 feet) by Pathé Frères on 6 June 1908.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Mr. and Mrs. Wellmarried would be the happiest couple on earth were it not for the terrible skeleton in the husband’s cupboard, his mother-in-law. That dragon in woman’s clothes always appears at the wrong moment, always says the wrong things and is therefore thoroughly hated by the young spouse. In this film we see the happy couple having lunch in perfect harmony when in comes wifey’s mother. The husband glares at his enemy and, the intruder having made a remark concerning the quality of the food, the infuriated husband seizes the soup tureen and gives the guest a good ducking. Still furious the young man goes out and, passing a café, thinks he will quiet his nerves with a soda. He orders the beverage but, as he is about to mix his drink, the bottle takes the shape of his abhorred mother-in-law. Desperate, he grabs for his enemy and shakes her violently. Water comes rushing out of the bottle and customers having been doused by the apparent lunatic, he is compelled to leave. Arriving before a moving van our friend looks into a mirror leaning against the vehicle, and again he beholds the fiendish face of his wife’s parent. Kicking viciously at it the glass is smashed to atoms. From there he goes on to where a pretty girl is sitting on a bench and, seeing an opportunity to forget his woes in a little flirtation, he bends over to talk to the girl, but horrors! Again mother-in-law is glaring at him. The poor man, half crazy, rushes to his home once more and, seeing the picture of the accursed woman hanging on the wall, takes an old regiment sword from its scabbard, slashes viciously at the innocent portrait and has soon cut the fat grinning face to pieces. Exhausted he lies down and is soon in the land where mothers-in-law are not permitted to enter.
Survival status: Print exists in the George Eastman Museum film archive [incomplete 35mm positive].
Current rights holder: (unknown) [France]; Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 11 March 2025.
References: Website-AFI; Website-GEM; Website-IMDb.
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