The Cine-Club returned from its summer break with films by Max Linder. The Cine-Club gathered at the National Library of Armenia to watch two significant films by Max Linder—one of the most famous figures of French silent cinema: "Au secours!" (1924) and "Seven Years Bad Luck" (1921). Even before Charlie Chaplin achieved global fame, Max Linder had already established a distinct language of screen comedy through his recognizable persona, elegant mannerisms, and situational humor. His influence was subsequently evident in the work of other great comedians.

"Seven Years Bad Luck" is one of the most famous films of Linder's American period. One of the film's most notable sequences is the broken mirror scene: instead of a mirror, a cook stands behind the frame and mimics every movement made by Linder's character. This scene later became a classic comedic trope and is also remembered in a similar sequence in the Marx Brothers' film "Duck Soup". Meanwhile, the film "Help!" was created under rather unusual circumstances; director Abel Gance and Max Linder agreed to attempt to shoot a film in just three days. The result was a 1924 silent short comedy that blended elements of humor with a horror-like atmosphere.

The latest Cine-club gathering offered an opportunity not only to view two remarkable works of early cinema but also to revisit an era when silent film could create characters, stories, and humor that have endured for decades. As part of the "Cinema Changes the World: France 1895–2026" program, the Cine-club continues the dialogue between different eras and generations of French cinema, showcasing how cinematic language, aesthetics, and social themes have evolved over the course of more than a century. The Cine-club, which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, is a joint project of the National Library of Armenia, the French Embassy/Institut français d'Arménie, and the Filmadaran Film Culture Development NGO.