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Post by solgroupie on Aug 7, 2009 23:13:00 GMT -5
chaplin and the mutuals part I the immigrant, 1917^that is chaplin, of course, with edna purviance. the other woman is identified on the imdb site as kitty bradbury, who played edna's mother. in chaplin's second book, my life in pictures, he couldn't remember he name and regrets not knowing what happened to her. he said she photographed beautifully. fulfilling the mutual contract, i suppose, was the happiest period of my career. i was light and unencumbered, twenty-seven-years old, with fabulous prospects and a friendly, glamorous world before me. within a short time i would be a millionaire - it all seemed slightly mad. i could never take it for granted. - chaplin, my autobiographythe mutual films (all 2 reelers): 1916 the floorwalker the fireman the vagabond one a.m. the count the pawnshop behind the screen the rink 1917 easy street the cure the immigrant the adventurer by the time chaplin signed on with the mutual film corporation, he had fifty short films under his belt, made with keystone and essanay. he also still relied on what he had learned in the english music halls as a younger man. you can see it how it all benefited him in all twelve mutual films. each one is a classic. he was given his own studio in los angeles, called the lone star studio, where he built up his stock of supporting actors. edna, of course would continue to play the leading lady (she and chaplin were still involved off-screen at this time). but he also stole the hilarious albert austin from keystone, as the straight man, the formidable eric campbell as the villain, and henry bergman, who could play anything for chaplin - man or woman, if needed. bergman worked for chaplin for decades. another name added to the crew was john rand. he doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves. two chaplin shorts he really stood out in comically were the pawnshop and the idle class, made for first national films in 1920. chaplin and albert austin in the floorwalker, 1916eric campbell and chaplin in the adventurer (with edna looking on), 1917henry bergman, john rand and chaplin in the pawnshop, 1916one of the most important members of chaplin's crew was roland "rollie" totheroh, a photographer who had trained at essanay and worked as chaplin's trusted cameraman right up until modern times in 1936. he had to be a very patient man to work with chaplin, who had an obsessive love of re-takes. totheroh with chaplin during the making of the gold rush, 1925even with this excellent assembly, chaplin, like all artists, would eventually hit the wall and draw a blank on how to see the plot through on his latest film. it was torture for him, and everyone in the cast and crew simply had to wait it out with him. chaplin could take days, weeks - even more than a year to figure out what had to be done. as he went on in his career, growing more and more independent, he could afford to do this. and it was essential for his creativity. he said in his autobiography, "at this juncture, i would lay off work and try to think, striding up and down in my dressing room in torment or sitting for hours at the back of a set, struggling with the problem." a very worthy dvd to consider purchasing is called unknown chaplin. the last time i checked, you can get it for next to nothing on ebay. it has three different hour long documentaries about chaplin's work as both actor and director. in one there is a damn near priceless shot of him doing just what he described - pacing back and forth, evidently frustrated, as eric cambell and henry bergman, among others, look on. just watching it gives me chills, almost. to actually see him at work like that is incredible. the floorwalker, 1916 spondulicks forever! the floorwalker is a simple story of mistaken identity. chaplin got the idea for the story when he saw a man tumble off an escalator in a department store in new york city. with only that to go on, he instructed his builders to construct a department store set. normally that was how it worked with chaplin. he knew if he tried to plan it all out in one sitting, he would just lose the creativity, which could result in one of those blocks that could plague him indefinitely. the tramp wanders around a department store, treating it like his own dressing room at times, making store employee albert austin's life miserable in the process. meanwhile, the floorwalker of the store, who looks remarkably like the tramp - only in better clothes - realizes he and his colleague, eric campbell, are about to get busted for extortion. a satchel full of money goes from their hands to tramp's in a series of mishaps and eventually makes its way all over the store. the floorwalker knocks campbell out cold in order to run with the money when he sees there are store detectives on the prowl. he runs into the tramp and seeing their resemblance, convinces him to change clothes with him so they can switch identities so he can make a getaway (if you watch this, check out how well this guy imitates the tramp's walk as he tries to nonchalantly make his escape). but he is caught and taken away. this leaves the tramp with a new job, which he takes seriously - or as seriously as the tramp can take anything. the floorwalker the whole short revolves around the escalator scene. watching eric campbell (who hasn't realized the switch and thinks the tramp is still his partner in crime) chase the tramp down the escalator is the highlight of the whole short. mack sennett said after seeing the floorwalker, "why the hell didn't we think of a running staircase?" the floorwalker is fun. the story never lags and there are many, many gags chaplin employs that always take me by surprise and crack me up. it was a great way to start his career with mutual. the fireman, 1916the fireman is a high-energy short that is another excellent example of how well suited chaplin and eric campbell were together. campbell could look quite scary - especially when he would wear the bushy eyebrows and beard and scowl so furiously - but he was said to be a pretty gentle soul. he was as big (6'5) as chaplin was small (5'5) and they were just perfect together. born in scotland, campbell also had a background with karno. unfortunately, he died in 1917 from a car accident, ending his life just as he was approaching real success with his career. in the fireman, the tramp, though very enthusiastic about his job, isn't the greatest fireman in the world. he oversleeps, he gambles, he is sloppy in the kitchen and seems to do nothing but irritate the fire chief (campbell). campbell has a scheme going with a wealthy man - he agrees to ignore the fire call to the man's house after he sets it on fire so he can collect the insurance. in exchange, it is agreed the campbell will marry the man's beautiful daughter, edna. of course, the tramp becomes involved - mainly by accident - and ends up not only in the middle of the match between edna and campbell, but the attempt at insurance fraud. there's a pretty exciting rescue scene at the end, which reminds us all how chaplin worked, literally, without a net. there are countless funny moments in the fireman, from beginning to end. edna and chaplin in the vagabond, 1916what i like about the vagabond, is it is the first mutual that shows us the tramp's poetic side - a side that would gradually grow and evolve throughout the years. he put real emotion in the vagabond, funny as the short is. it opens with the tramp trying to make a little money from playing his violin. though not very successful, he determinedly pushes on, finding edna a welcoming audience. however, edna has been kidnapped by the gypsies - you see a scene of her mother (the elegantly beautiful charlotte mineau, who appeared in several chaplin shorts) sadly looking at a picture of her missing daughter. once chaplin sees how terribly edna is abused by the head gypsy-guy - who else but campbell - he sets out to rescue her. he does so and does his best to take care of her. the face-washing scene between the tramp and edna is hilarious - and i pitied poor edna, who undoubtedly had to undergo that vigorous face scrubbing countless times, due to chaplin's love of re-takes. however, a young artist stumbles upon edna as she is in search of water, and he persuades her to let him paint her portrait. back at their camp, the tramp meets the man and realizes how impressed edna is by him. he tries to compete, but as usual, the tramp falls short in this type of situation. the ending is poignant, as well as satisfying to the viewer. edna was great - it gave her a bigger role, and the story touched on all emotions. up next: the mutuals, part II
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 11, 2009 18:37:51 GMT -5
chaplin and the mutual films, part II chaplin's fan base was increasing with each new film that he released. the training he had received from vaudeville, keystone and essanay would prove itself in the films he released under the mutual label. for the first time in cinema's young history, the word artist was being used to describe chaplin as a comedian, something that had not been done before. people were often shocked at chaplin's methods. for one thing, he went through a LOT of film to shoot just one picture. that was unheard of in those days. keystone abhorred any waste in film, and the staff at essanay was horrified when they knew how much film chaplin used to make one short. but chaplin learned that rehearsing on film was essential to the outcome of his creativity. he could see how the gags played out on film - what needed to go, what needed to stay and what needed to be changed. chaplin had no problem using as much film as he needed to get the perfect take, either. virginia cherrill, chaplin's leading lady from city lights remembered how he would do take after take after take - and when he would finally say, that's got it, everyone would sigh with relief. at least until he would follow with, well, maybe just one more. one a.m.after finishing one a.m., chaplin was heard to say something along the lines of, "another film like that and it's goodbye charlie." one a.m. was my first favorite short - it still is on a list that is constantly changing. aside from a couple of moments of the stoic albert austin, chaplin is the only character in the film, playing a drunken man arriving home and trying to make his way to his bed. from the moment he enters his house (either through the door or window) everything inside seems to conspire against him - from rugs, coat racks, a giant swinging pendulum - to an uncooperative murphy bed. watching one a.m. will amaze you. it really will. it never fails to blow my mind to see chaplin fall down a flight of steps - not once, but over and over - to fall on his ass dozens of times - everything he did, and he managed to live his life without getting addicted to some type of painkiller like so many other celebrities of his time and ours. chaplin in one a.m. if you ever watch one a.m., look for the part where chaplin tosses his hat so it lands right on top of a stuffed bird. i don't know how many takes they did for him to get it just right, but it was worth it - it's incredible. i'm always a little worn out after watching one a.m. but it is an excellent example of how brilliant chaplin was at inventing gags out of thin air. one a.m.also - i must say here how well chaplin played a drunk. it's much easier to play drunk when you are drunk. but after so long, most actors lose their focus on it and either seem to "sober" up or they'll suddenly remember they're supposed to be drunk and act extra smashed. chaplin was always consistent and always convincing. chaplin in a night in the show, essanay, 1915after all, that is what got him noticed by mack sennett when he was still with karno - that skit of him playing the intoxicated audience member (as he recreated in a night in the show) is what started getting him noticed by everyone. chaplin and edna in the count, 1916the count has one of the funniest opening scenes to a chaplin short, in my opinion. the tramp is a tailor's assistant, taking measurements of a woman. in quick, efficient moves, you see the tramp take measurements of her fingers, her elbow, her wrist - anywhere but where he is too embarrassed to check, which is her chest. when he accidentally measures the woman's waist to five feet, the boss (eric campbell) orders him to the back. i laugh so hard when the tramp dashes back with his measuring tape, desperate to take just one more measurement of the woman. i love how he takes off when campbell threatens him. he is eventually fired, but not before finding an invitation to a swank party in a customer's jacket he tries (unsuccessfully) to iron. he decides to go, using the name on the invitation, not realizing until he arrives that eric campbell had the same plan. like in many other shorts, it is another case of mistaken identity. i love the competition between eric campbell and the tramp over an unsuspecting edna. the tramp flirts it up a storm in the count - from a dowdy woman working in the kitchen to beautiful edna to an unknown woman who has quite an effect on the tramp. this is a prime example of what i was talking about earlier - when the tramp sees a pretty girl and just loses his control. it is what causes the frantic, chaotic ending. chaplin and albert austin in the pawnshop, 1916the pawnshop somehow stands out from other mutual comedies - i don't know how it does it. there are other shorts that are just as funny. i don't know what it is, but you cannot go wrong with the pawnshop. the tramp now works for a pawnbroker, henry bergman. he also works with edna (who spends most of her time in the kitchen - hey, it was 1916) and john rand. a pawnshop was the perfect setting for chaplin to put to use his genius with inanimate objects. just watching him interact with different items is another chance for him to invent something funny to do with it - even if it is just the tramp putting his beloved cane in an unused suitcase for safe keeping. it is the constant fights between the tramp and john rand that are so hilarious. it's the trouble they go to, to get their punches in - stopping when they think they think the boss is coming - stopping when the tramp fears their fight has damaged his pocket watch - they'll stop for anything as long as they can continue their fight. my favorite scene is when bergman is chewing out the tramp for his behavior while rand sits innocently behind the tramp. chaplin looks suitably chastised until the very second bergman is out the door - then he jumps rand and starts just beating the hell out of him all over again. another funny moment is when the tramp is using edna's sympathy for him to irritate rand. he looks so innocent, but as edna is berating rand, the tramp very obviously checks her out - even takes a look at her ass. chaplin, edna and john rand in the pawnshoperic campbell plays a crook hoping to rip off the jewelry at the pawnshop, and it takes the tramp to save the day. there is some excellent physical comedy here - the scene with chaplin on the ladder is worth watching alone. chaplin in the pawnshopif there was nothing else in the pawnshop but the scene between chaplin and austin as the tramp plays doctor with austin's watch - that would be enough. the pawnshop is definitely one of chaplin's best. up next: chaplin and the mutual films, part III
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 19, 2009 18:56:50 GMT -5
chaplin and the mutuals, part III eric campbell, charlie chaplin, edna purviance in behind the screen, 1916behind the screen is chaplin's second comedy that takes place at a fictional movie studio. his first one had been his new job a year earlier, when he was still with essanay. behind the screen is one of the best examples of chaplin's genius of comic transposition. no one else could take an object - any object - and make it into something else - make it into a prop for his comedy. behind the screeni tried to find a picture of the scene that best displays this, but this was the closest one i could find. in this short, the tramp plays an assistant named david to a stagehand named goliath (eric campbell). goliath doesn't do much more than boss david around and sleep while david does all the work. but it gives the tramp many opportunities to entertain us with his various jobs. one of his tasks is to collect a number of bentwood chairs. he quickly picks them up and slings them over his shoulder until all you can see of the tramp are his legs. he looks just like a porcupine staggering around the set under the weight of the chairs. i can still remember the first time i saw that. the other stories in behind the screen involve a unruly crew that decides to go on strike and edna, who plays a girl who disguises herself as a boy to land a job at the studio. there's a moment you wouldn't expect in a 1916 short regarding homosexuality. when the tramp discovers edna is a girl and kisses her, goliath catches them and thinks the tramp has just kissed a man. he flits around them in a very effeminate way. there were a couple of other moments in chaplin's films that touches on the subject, but that is the most obvious. though chaplin complained that all the keystone comedies ended in a frantic chase of some kind, that is exactly what happens in many of his own films, such as behind the screen. the tramp has to do some quick thinking to stop the crew on strike from blowing up the studio and saving edna in the process. but as i've said before, though there may be a crazy chase at the end, there is always a reason. one of my favorite pictures of chaplin and edna from behind the screenthe rinkusing one of chaplin's favorite themes - mistaken identity - the rink is one of his all time classics. you can guess from the title that there will be plenty of physical comedy here, which is some of his best. in this short, the tramp is now a waiter. you see him adding up customer eric campbell's bill by inspecting the food stains on campbell's clothes - picking off stray spaghetti noodles - finding soup stains, etc. the scenes in the restaurant are funny enough on their own, but the tramp decides to spend his break at a local skating rink, opening up the possibilities of endless comedic situations. now your first thought might be - wow, the tramp on roller skates - that will be a sure hoot. you can see him stumbling over his own feet into people and whatever comes in his path. WRONG! chaplin is as graceful on roller skates as he is when he suddenly breaks into dance. i could watch chaplin skate endlessly, i think. as soon as he enters the rink, you can't watch anything else but him. he runs into (literally) his customer from the restaurant, eric campbell, who is intent on wooing edna. a classic scene between the two rivals follows, and the tramp comes out the victor this time, impressing edna with his grace and confidence. she invites him to a skating party she is having that very night, which he accepts, convincing her that he is a wealthy suitor and not a lowly waiter. he goes back to work for some more comedy - the scene of him behind the bar mixing a drink is one to watch - i could totally see chaplin doing those same moves at a party to entertain guests. the party, of course, is a disaster. everyone from the tramp to campbell to james t. kelley who plays edna's father (who is having a secret affair with a married woman - played beautifully by henry bergman) tries to hide their identities and their secrets until it all erupts on an exciting chase - all on skates. everyone is as klutzy as i would be on skates now, except for the tramp. like the pawnshop, the rink stands out somehow. with just one viewing, i'm sure you would agree. easy streeteasy street was the first film chaplin made for mutual of 1917. it's a different kind of story for the tramp. the opening shot is one of the tramp curled up asleep, living on the streets. he hears edna's beautiful voice singing from a mission that helps the poor, and he is lured inside. aside from a wavering moment when he almost steals a collection plate, he decides to go straight because of edna's inspiration. chaplin in the opening scene of easy streetthe tramp discovers there is a need for policeman, particularly on easy street. easy street is in constant chaos - crime is heavy and no one is safe from the bully, played expertly by eric campbell. the police, who bear more than a passing resemblance to the keystone cops, are beaten to a pulp when they try to intervene. you see a steady stream of them being carried in on stretchers at the police department, showing their desperation for replacements. the tramp is hired and soon suited up in uniform. unexpectedly, the tramp manages to clean up easy street. he faces the bully and in a brilliant move, takes him down by gassing him with a street lamp. chaplin and eric campbell in easy streetonce the giant bully is taken away by the police, the tramp receives respect he has never known before. everyone is terrified of misbehaving now and easy street becomes a safe place to live. but once eric campbell wakes up, it is only a matter of time before he finds the tramp and tries to settle the score with him. there are a number of notable mentions in easy street. first of all, the street itself. it has been well documented that the set of easy street - one street crossing another - resembles the street where chaplin grew up in london as a boy. he used the same kind of set for other films, including the kid. if you watch closely, you begin to see traces of chaplin's background in all of his comedies. it was also somewhat strange to see the tramp in a position of authority. it almost bothers me to the point of avoiding easy street, though i always enjoy the short when i do watch it. it is just almost unsettling for me to see the tramp out of character like that. but all the elements of chaplin's genius is there. just watch the tramp visit a group of orphans with edna. you can't help but remember his own experiences as a child living in a london workhouse in the late 1800's, which is poignant. but then you have to laugh at the tramp when he scatters food on the ground for the children like he is feeding a bunch of chickens. easy street is about the only time there was an injury on one of chaplin's films, which is pretty impressive when you consider it. think of all the ass kicking, the tumbling down the stairs, falling out of windows, getting hit in the head - it was all rehearsed so well that it usually never happened. as chaplin said in his autobiography: "no member of my cast was injured in any of our pictures. violence was carefully rehearsed and treated like choreography. a slap in the face was always tricked. no matter how much of a skirmish, everyone knew what he was doing, everything was timed. we had only one accident in that whole series. it happened in easy street. while i was pulling a street-lamp over the big bully to gas him, the head of the lamp collapsed and its sharp metal edge fell across the bridge of my nose, necessitating two surgical stitches." easy street is one of the mutuals that tries something different and works. it's funny, it's sweet and it's exciting. up next: chaplin and the mutuals, part IV
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 22, 2009 16:55:58 GMT -5
chaplin and the mutuals, part V i've been looking forward to discussing one of my favorite mutual shorts - eric campbell and chaplin in the cure, 1917once again i will suggest to the chaplin enthusiast, whether newbie or veteran, to invest in a copy of unknown chaplin. i think chaplin would have mixed feelings of knowing this documentary was available. he preferred to keep his filming practices under wraps and you can see plenty of clever camera tricks and other methods chaplin employed to make his films. on the other hand, i'd think chaplin would be thrilled to know there was still such an interest in his work. i think his biggest fear was that he would be forgotten. right. but in UC, you get to see the method of his madness. how films were made without a script - how chaplin just had the smallest idea of what he might do and watch him go from there. since there is no one surviving the mutual film company, all you have to go on is the clapboard, and the number of takes they used to complete films like the cure. through UC, you'll see the story goes through a number of changes, both in set and characters before the final story of the cure emerges naturally. perhaps not easily, but it happens. the cure takes place at a health sanitarium, centered around a mineral spring well, where residents gather to dip their cups in to get in on all of its healthful benefits. chaplin tried numerous scenes of the tramp as a bellboy at the sanitarium, and though there were some really funny gags he came up with, he ultimately abandoned the character to become a guest rather than an employee - a guest with quite a drinking problem. one thing i will always admire about chaplin was his discipline when it came to his work. he may have come up with some hilarious gags for a scene, but if it ultimately didn't make sense to the story, he would abandon them, no matter how funny they were and not rest until he had something funny and relevant to his story. the tramp - though he doesn't look like his usual self, arrives drunk with an enormous suitcase full of liquor. as he explores the sanatorium, the bellboys break into it and began boozing it up. the reason the tramp is dressed better than usual is because back in 1917, alcoholism was a growing problem among the working class. so chaplin dressed his character as a more middle class type, though his personality was still the same as the tramp. the tramp meets edna and is immediately enchanted. drunkenly enchanted. he also encounters the well for the first time, and is visibly sickened at taking a sip of water with no liquor mixed with it. but it doesn't stop the tramp from embracing the experiences the sanitarium has to offer, nor does it stop him from making a quick enemy out of - who else - but eric campbell, who plays a well-to-do man who has a foot in a cast. throughout the film, the tramp manages to stomp, squish, trip and drop everything possible on poor eric's foot. i love the scenes where the tramp anxiously watches a man get a massage by the sadistic henry bergman, knowing he is next. you get to see the tramp referee the massage, as well as aggravate eric campbell once more, which leads to one of my favorite scenes: the tramp breaks into dance when discovered in the dressing room. i've seen him do this dance before, sort of a play on some ballet steps, and it is always entertaining. what happens is, the bottles of alcohol end up getting tossed out the window, landing in the mineral water well. so you get to see a lot of old fussy people get ripped. about this time, edna (who doesn't realize the water is now tainted) convinces the tramp to try the well water, and he does so reluctantly at first, but more enthusiastically once he realizes it tastes much better than it did before. the tramp's solution for a hangover in the cure, 1917edna is the only one who doesn't partake, and she gets to witness a bizarre drunken free-for-all with a victorian herd of people. the tramp rescues her from a couple of over-amorous guys, but the next day she makes him promise to stop drinking. the final scene gives promise to a happy ending. chaplin and edna purviance in the curechaplin was living at a place called the los angeles athletic club at the time he made the cure, which proved to be his inspiration. which brings us to - there has been much said about the immigrant, chaplin's eleventh film for mutual, made in 1917. some might find it easy to write it off as just another goofy silent short movie - maybe they'll think it's boring compared to today's advances in film technology. i don't see how anyone could watch the immigrant and not see the poetry of the film that chaplin created. but then again, i have been known to be labeled as a sort of nazi when it comes to this type of thing. just because i love it so doesn't mean anyone else will. regardless, i do love the immigrant. it's funny, it's sad - it's a commentary of a generation of people who left their home for the so called good life in america. the short opens with the tramp on a ship headed for america, along with a group of other immigrants - most of which are troubled with seasickness. you can see right from the start how chaplin can make anything funny when you see the tramp heaving over the side of the ship, thinking he is sick with the others. but when he rises with a fish he caught on a line, you see his humor and his boundless supply of optimism. on the boat the tramp meets edna and her ailing mother. lovestruck almost from the start - as usual - the tramp shows his growing sentimental side upon meeting them. you see him play cards with a rough group of men and handle the surly loser with aplomb only the tramp can pull off. the surly loser makes up for his losses by stealing from edna's sick mother, which leaves them penniless. however, upon learning this, the tramp sneaks money into edna's pocket. he is mistaken for a pickpocket and nabbed by an employee of the ship. edna realizes what the tramp has done for her and is moved by his generosity. the immigrant, 1917the scene of the ship pulling into harbor in new york is a memorable one - it was a great scene, but it also displayed a side of the tramp that would get his creator in trouble. mildly at first, but it would grow until it reached disastrous proportions. the tramp, fed up with being treated like cattle, gives the abusive policeman trying to control the crowd a kick in the ass. the tramp was never one to obey any type of authority, but before it somehow didn't stand out. it was just funny. perhaps chaplin's fame was beginning to raise awareness that would have been noticed before. but it was noticed and it was not appreciated by the upper class and higher ups. the tramp parts ways with edna and her mother and the next you see of him, he is walking down a sidewalk, broke and hungry. what follows can only be described as classic cinema - young comedy at its finest. the tramp happens to find a coin on the sidewalk and excitedly runs into a cafe to finally have a meal, unknowing that the coin immediately falls back to the sidewalk due to a hole in his pocket. chaplin originally intended for the story (again, as revealed in unknown chaplin) to be about a man who has never eaten in a restaurant before. he goes in and immediately is set upon by the intimidating waiter, eric campbell - originally cast as bergman. albert austin has a very funny little scene with the tramp as a man trying to eat his meal in peace as the tramp sits next to him and causes countless distractions. austin was perfect for these types of situations. eric campbell, chaplin, edna purviance and henry bergman in the immigrantwhile enjoying his meal, the tramp happens to notice a lonely, sad girl at the next table, drinking a cup of coffee. he realizes it is edna and is overjoyed to see her again, and they embrace. he invites her to join him, which she does readily, not having enough money to buy a meal of her own. once the tramp notices her handkerchief, which has black edging on it, he realizes that she is in mourning. she tells him her mother has died and she is alone in a strange new country. chaplin and edna purviance in the immigranthe is immediately sympathetic, but in typical tramp-like fashion, assures her that things will turn around for her, and they begin to eat. they witness a man being pummeled by the wait staff, with eric campbell doing most of the pummeling. they learn that it was due to the customer being ten cents short on the bill. the tramp double checks to make sure he can still pay his and edna's bill, and the moment he realizes his prized coin is gone is priceless. the tramp begins to panic, looking everywhere for his coin, while trying to appear that everything is normal. but watching him even tear apart his bread and pour out his coffee in hopes of finding the missing coin is hilarious. a man walks in with the coin that the tramp had found and he manages to swipe it back, but only to find out through a very menacing campbell that it is counterfeit. henry bergman saves the day as an artist who is taken by edna's beauty and joins them, asking to paint her portrait. he offers to pay for their meal, but the tramp politely refuses one too many times, resulting in more stress on how he will get through this without getting attacked by campbell and the other waiters. he manages to slip a coin from the tip bergman leaves to pay for the meal, escaping yet again. he coaxes a few dollars from bergman as an advance on edna's portrait and what follows is one of chaplin's best endings in film - even chaplin himself said it was his favorite. in the pouring rain, the tramp convinces edna to marry him. she playfully tries to run away after he kisses her, and the film ends with the tramp carrying edna into the marriage license office. another great picture of charlie and edna in the immigrantchaplin said he liked the idea of these two poor immigrants getting married on a "doleful, rainy day." it is a great ending to a wonderfully funny, touching film. which brings us finally to - chaplin in the adventurer, 1917the adventurer was chaplin's last picture for the mutual film company. though he made nothing but excellent films there, he was anxious at this point to move on to his dream of calling his own shots at his own studio, which was about to become a reality. sydney was in negotiations with the first national films. it may or may not be a coincidence that chaplin decided in this last film that the tramp would be a prisoner escaping authority. the adventurer is exciting from beginning to end. there is almost non-stop physical comedy that looks absolutely exhausting for everyone involved. it is easy to see that the actors working for chaplin gave nothing but their best for him, proving his talent as a director early on. as impatient as he could be in other matters, when it came to creating a story on film, many have commented on chaplin's unending patience on working a scene through to get it exactly the way he wanted. he lost his temper from time to time (something else you get to see in unknown chaplin - i swear i don't get any kickbacks from pitching this dvd - it's just really that good), but that could only be expected. he saw what he wanted - it had to be difficult at times to get everyone to share the same vision he had. the tramp leads some more very keystone-ish cops on a wild chase on the beach, finally managing to escape. he meets edna, who is on an outing with eric campbell, by accident. edna's mother is yelling for help in the water, and though campbell hesitates to jump from the pier to save her, the tramp swims to her aid. but not before edna jumps in the water to try and save her mother herself. both campbell and another man who is calmly observing campbell's panic fall in the water, so the tramp proves his bravery once more by rescuing everyone, even the angry campbell, who fights the tramp all the way and almost kills him in the process. a very funny scene follows as the tramp tries to get everyone loaded up into edna's waiting car. chaplin's real life chauffeur, kono, has a cameo appearance in the adventurer as edna's chauffeur. chaplin in the adventurerthe tramp finds himself a guest of edna's at a swank house. he assumes a wealthy persona and just barely pulls it off -somewhat awkwardly at times, but always convincing. he adopts his coolest fake name yet, commodore slick. his main priorities are keeping his real identity a secret and winning edna's heart. chaplin and edna purviance in the adventurercampbell, still humiliated by the whole near drowning experience, is furious to see the tramp moving in on edna. he discovers a newspaper that has a picture of the tramp as the convict he is, with a story of how the authorities are trying to find him. poor campbell is the only one who knows the truth about the tramp, but has little success in convincing anyone else. the tramp does his best to fit in with everyone, but is constantly aware of how out of place he is. in one funny scene, chaplin once again wins the approval of every working class fan by accidentally dropping a scoop of ice cream down edna's mother's back. seeing a wealthy snobbish woman comically jump around, losing her dignity is something everyone in the theaters wanted to see back then. and watching eric campbell awkwardly try to help her was even funnier. but real life catches up with the tramp when campbell calls the police. his discovery leads everyone in another wild chase. it is just as entertaining as the chase scene that opens the adventurer. one of the funniest moments is the scene where the tramp evades a policeman with the help of a sliding door. the adventurerthe tramp has a moment to regretfully apologize to a bewildered edna, who spurns him. almost before you can blink, he manages to kick a policeman in the ass and is off running again, thus ending the adventurer. nothing lags in the adventurer - in fact, i can't remember a scene in any of the mutuals that slows down the story or the comedy. it is a shame that the mutual films are not recognized more today, but i am eternally grateful that they still exist and are in such good condition. chaplin had the foresight to preserve everything he owned in film in a vault he had built in his switzerland home. even now, experts are working on restoring the keystone films of chaplin, which is taking years to complete. the mutuals were restored digitally and they are smooth and easy to watch, unlike the keystones. some are totally unwatchable, so i am looking forward to seeing how the restoration improves the quality. but all twelve of the mutual films are a must have for any chaplin fan, or any fan of comedy itself. chaplin's gift of comedic invention and execution laid the groundwork for countless comedians that followed him. whether conscious of him or not, other comics had the perfect original to learn from, and you can still find evidence of his style today. up next - first national and the beginning of chaplin's true independence.
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 25, 2009 16:01:28 GMT -5
chaplin and first national films by 1917, the tramp could do no wrong, as far as the fans were concerned. he was an icon, a god to all ages, all races - all over the world. imagine what kind of pressure that had to put on chaplin. he enjoyed his fame and was active socially, but it had to be exhausting. everyone wanted his opinion on everything under the sun. he was still very shy and somewhat insecure at heart, yet he had that unquenchable need to be the center of attention. i've heard from more than once source - family and colleagues of chaplin, that he was always on. charlie chaplin, mary pickford and douglas fairbanksby now he had established his friendship with douglas fairbanks, the king of hollywood, hollywood's first real action hero. chaplin had nothing but kind words for his friend in his autobiography, though he had resisted meeting him originally, saying he disliked brilliant young men. but he and douglas forged a relationship that would last until fairbanks died in 1939. he also became friends with america's sweetheart, mary pickford, but you get the sense they never were very close. in business they often disagreed, but i'll get to that later. as chaplin was beginning the next chapter in his career, his relationship with edna purviance began to fall apart. they had spent a lot of time together - chaplin took both edna and her mother with him to honolulu for a month long vacation after he completed his contract with mutual. but he admitted to neglecting her, as he would do to virtually any woman he would be involved with after edna - his work always came first. when he was concentrating on a film, he became totally absorbed with it. it was when he would lose his concentration that he would have love affairs and travel about. but when inspiration struck, if it wasn't directly related to the film, he lost all interest. he tells in his autobiography how edna would subtly let him know that she was feeling neglected when they were at parties together. eventually he would find himself with other people (usually the amorous females he could never resist), and word would get back to him that edna had fainted and was calling for him. so he would spend the rest of the evening by her side. he said in his autobiography, "although i was flattered that such a beautiful girl always asked for me after she came to, the habit was becoming a little annoying." chaplin and edna purviance in carmen, 1916then, at yet another party, edna fainted and instead of asking for chaplin, she asked for thomas meighan, a leading man from paramount. ^intense looking fellow. anyway, chaplin was furious. he said he could not work the next day, proving how fragile his mindset could be when it came to creating. he and edna had words about it and she was much too casual about the whole thing, agreeing too easily that their working relationship was much more important than their romantic one. this threw chaplin, who began pursuing her all over again, begging for a reconciliation. they reunited for a short while, but a few weeks later when edna brought meighan with her to the studio to pick up her check, chaplin knew it was over. i plan on writing a post about the women in chaplin's life later on - not all of them because that would take waaay too long. but i'll get into more of edna and chaplin's relationship then. though they hurt each other, it was obvious they cared deeply for one another for decades. meanwhile, sydney had pulled off his greatest business coup yet -negotiating a deal with first national films for $1,200,000. he was to make eight comedies with no time limit. sydney broke the news to his brother that he was now a millionaire while chaplin was walking around his room with only a towel around his hips, playing his violin. "hum-um, i suppose that's wonderful," he said dryly. he admitted to feeling absolutely unreal at this news, and also quite anxious. the money had to be earned, as he said. the first step in following through with his contract with first national, chaplin began with buying five acres of lemon, orange and peach trees in the still rural land of hollywood and building his own studio. it was located on the corner of sunset and la brea, which was still a residential neighborhood. to appease a small community that was not thrilled about having a movie studio in their backyards, chaplin had his studio built to resemble an english village. it was impressive for its time - with tennis courts, a swimming pool, film lab and many offices. he finally had achieved his dream - almost. after first national, chaplin would own his own studio and all the rights to every picture he made. he wrote, directed, starred in the films as well as composed the music. he did everything but sell popcorn at the movie theaters, and i'm sure he would have tried to do that if given the chance. no star, that i'm aware of, has had that kind of control before or since chaplin. the first national films: a dog's life shoulder arms the bond sunnyside a day's pleasure the kid the idle class pay day the pilgrim the first film chaplin completed for first national was a dog's life, in 1918. he employed his usual cast of characters, including edna purviance, albert austin and others - and his brother, sydney also had a small but memorable part. other than the tramp, the star of the show was scraps the dog. chaplin in a dog's life, with his co-star, scrapsa dog's life begins a stage in chaplin's career where you can really see his use of control in how his films would be made from then on. he said in his autobiography, "the story had an element of satire, paralleling the life of a dog with that of a tramp. this leitmotif was the structure upon which i built sundry gags and slapstick routines. i was beginning to think of comedy in a structural sense, and to become conscious of its architectural form. each sequence implied the next sequence, all of them relating to the whole." edna purviance, charlie chaplin and scraps in a dog's lifeyou can tell the difference almost right away that this film is going to be more involved than the shorts of his past. it opens with the tramp living on the street, doing what he can for food - outsmarting the police and just trying to survive. you also meet scraps, a lone dog who is having a tough time living on the streets on her own. the opening scene to a dog's lifeone of the funniest scenes in a dog's life is when the tramp tries to get work. but the demand was great for an opening at a brewery, and the tramp - though first in line - he is bullied out of the position. the tramp meets and saves scraps from a gang of bullying dogs, and a friendship is formed. i found out how chaplin got scraps to sleep so soundly during this scene - the tramp moves the dog all around like a pillow, trying to get comfortable, all while scraps is out like a light. she was drunk! they gave her whiskey. good thing PETA wasn't around back then. that sounds cruel, but i also read that the dog was very attached to chaplin (maybe hoping for more booze?) and became despondent after shooting for the film ended and died not too long afterwards. scraps was buried at chaplin's studio. the tramp sneaks scraps into the green lantern, a pub where he meets edna for the first time. edna is shy and reserved, not the usual qualities for girl working in a bar. after she sings a number for the audience, her intimidating boss instructs her to flirt and dance with the customers so they'll buy more drinks, but she is at a loss at how to go about it. in one of the most charming scenes between she and chaplin, edna attempts to flirt with the tramp and though he is more confused than charmed, they hit it off right away. but the tramp is kicked out once the bartender discovers he is broke. a couple of robbers have stolen a wallet from a drunken wealthy man, and they bury it in the ground in the spot where the tramp and scraps call home. scraps digs the wallet up later and the tramp finds it full of money. he races back to the green lantern just in time to find edna crying alone. she has been fired for resisting a drunken customer. the tramp sits with her and tells her how they will move to the country and raise a family. he shows her the wallet and doesn't realize above them, the robbers are having a drink and they overhear him. they knock him out and take back their wallet. the tramp is again tossed out, dog and all. edna tells him what happened when he comes to, and what follows is one of my all time favorite scenes in any chaplin film. the tramp manages to knock out one of the crooks, albert austin, as he continues to drink with his partner, bud jamison. hiding behind austin, the tramp maneuvers his hands for austin's, making it look as if austin is the one communicating with his partner, all while the tramp is using austin as a puppet. i just love albert austin. he and chaplin worked so well together. the funniest part is when jamison holds his glass of beer up for a toast, and the tramp raises austin's, and while jamison isn't looking, the tramp manages to sneak a sip of beer. the tramp is successful, but not for long. the wallet is taken back, which leads into a short but exciting chase between the tramp and the robbers. in the end, it's scraps that saves the wallet, ensuring the tramp's and edna's happy ending. that ending is one of my favorites. edna and charlie are so natural together, and i always get the feeling it was how they really might have been around each other in private. seeing the tramp get everything he ever wanted - love, security and puppies is very rewarding and satisfying. up next: the bond and shoulder arms - the tramp in the army!
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 28, 2009 15:19:54 GMT -5
chaplin and the first national films much was about to change in chaplin's life, though at the time when he was finishing a dog's life, he did not realize it. the war was lasting much longer than the four months everyone had predicted. in effort to help increase awareness of the liberty bond drive chaplin had been a part of, along with mary pickford, douglas fairbanks and others, he created a short film called the bond. i admit i don't watch the bond all too often. and when i do, i just get ticked off. after all the accusations thrown at chaplin for his political beliefs, being accused of communism, social and moral depravity - a little half reeler like the bond was easily forgotten by many of his fans when it came right down to it. so was a full feature film called the great dictator, which i look forward to discussing. in what was basically a PSA, the bond looks at different examples of the bonds that touch everyone's lives - the bonds of friendship, love and marriage. snippets of scenes are quickly shown of such examples. the funniest part to me is a shot of the tramp and edna showing us the bond of marriage - there's the tramp sitting with edna and a newborn baby - the look on edna's face is pure despair. albert austin and chaplin showing us the bonds of friendship the tramp is more animated than usual, using that frantic energy he displayed during the liberty bond drive, as he convinces his audience to purchase bonds to bring a quick end to the war. as chaplin talks about the war in his autobiography, you can see his growing alarm of senseless destruction to mankind. it would not end along with the war. shoulder arms, 1918making a comedy about the war was a ballsy move for chaplin. cecil b. demille told him, "it's dangerous at this time to make fun of the war." everyone in the business told him it was a bad idea - the timing was all wrong. this would not be the first time chaplin ignored advice such as this and prove everyone wrong. shoulder arms was the most popular film of the war, particularly for the soldiers who appreciated the humor made from such serious topics as battle, homesickness and living in wretched conditions. as we all know, there is a fine line between comedy and tragedy, and no one understood it better than chaplin. originally, shoulder arms was supposed to be a five reel comedy, instead of three, including scenes of the tramp with a wife and three little boys (one of which was jackie coogan, who would go on to star in both the kid and a day's pleasure), but chaplin decided against giving the tramp too much of a back story and leaving him the way he always was - as just a nondescript victim of fate. there is some excellent comedy in shoulder arms. just as it was in easy street, seeing the tramp in uniform is almost unsettling. but you quickly see how no uniform can ever really change the tramp. but watching him try to march with both feet in - hitting the soldier next to him in the head with his gun and irritating the sargent beyond belief quickly puts you at ease. after the troops are dismissed to their tents, you see the tramp collapse on his cot in exhaustion. chaplin in shoulder armsnext, you get a glimpse of life in the trenches. chaplin gets it all in here - the loneliness of having no one from home to write to him - sad, but watch him stand over the shoulder of a fellow soldier and read a letter he gets - it looks like the tramp is enthralled in a gripping novel until his eavesdropping is discovered. living in the trenches was wet and miserable. you feel torn at laughing at such misery, but it's impossible not to when you see the tramp try to sleep underwater, or deal with his lice by pinning up a cheese grater to use as a back scratcher. in one scene you see a live frog jump from someone's foot and swim away. i learned the chaplin took take after take, wanting the frog to jump a certain way and yelled at it until he finally gave up and moved on. only chaplin would try to direct a frog and scream at it when it wouldn't obey the way everyone else did. the soldiers are asked to volunteer for a deadly mission, and the tramp is unfortunately the one who is volunteered for it. he must cross enemy lines. sydney had a good part in shoulder arms, showing us his talent in front of the camera as a fellow soldier who is captured by the enemy. seeing the tramp dressed up as a tree just cracks me up. you can't look at him without laughing, it's so ridiculous. but he makes it work for him as he dispatches a group of enemy soldiers one by one by simply conking them on the head with what looks like a tree limb, but is actually his arm. but the tramp's disguise is eventually discovered and he must run for his life. it's one of my favorite scenes in shoulder arms: the tramp, still dressed as a tree, fleeing through the woods. you honestly can't tell him from a real tree a time or two, and to see a tree just suddenly uproot and take off running through the stark black and white woods is a true visual treat. chaplin in shoulder armsthe tramp hides out in a war torn house and falls asleep. edna comes home and discovers him. i love it - watching the tramp as he explains to her through pantomime who he is ("me american soldier") is just another charming scene chaplin and edna did together. by then their relationship off screen was basically over and this is during the period when chaplin took his first bride, the 16 year old mildred harris, which i will tell more of later. but edna handled her end of shoulder arms professionally and with all the grace and humor she possessed. the ending involves yet another mistaken identity gag when the tramp pretends to be one of the enemy - an idea he would employ again over twenty years later in the great dictator. edna and sydney are part of the ruse, and they manage to end the war with "peace on earth and goodwill toward men." a happy ending - or is it? you have to watch it to know for sure. it also has one of my favorite jokes from any chaplin film - the tramp leads in a line of enemy soldiers that were captured and the tramp's sargent asks, "how did you capture 13?" the tramps says (in mime, of course) "i surrounded them." i don't know why, but that cracks me up every time. shoulder arms was a success, but he experienced his worst creative block in completing it. more than likely it was due to the marriage of young mildred. it was a block that would last through his next film for first national...
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Post by GProopdog on Aug 30, 2009 12:32:54 GMT -5
I'm probably in the minority here.....but from watching a few of Chaplin's shorts and movies....I just don't get it.
Don't get me wrong, their not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but alas, I just can't seem to find them funny like I do, say, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, The Stooges, or the Marx Brothers.
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Post by callipygias on Aug 30, 2009 13:04:58 GMT -5
I'm sure you have other fine qualities.
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Post by solgroupie on Aug 31, 2009 12:09:19 GMT -5
you certainly not alone, muta. chaplin is not for everyone. i just never assumed i would be interested in him in the few times i had opportunities to watch his films or learn more about him. i stumbled upon chaplin while flipping through the channels one night and caught a documentary about him. it was halfway through by the time i tuned in, but by the end i couldn't wait to start watching his films.
the others you mentioned - abbott and costello - the great marx brothers and laurel and hardy (chaplin used to work with stan laurel in vaudeville and in fact roomed with him when they first came to american in the early 1900's) - they had their strengths and weaknesses in comedy like all comedians. myself, other than the marx brothers, i just can't commit to any of their films. to me, they lack the artistry, the subtle humor and the feeling chaplin put in all of his stories. what the others did - one way or another, it somehow came from chaplin. i'm sure they would be the first ones to admit it. i respect them, and i'm sure you will have plenty of material to use for your thread, as MJ does for his keaton/lloyd thread. but for me, no artist - even today - can come before chaplin when it comes to making me laugh and cry.
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Post by GProopdog on Aug 31, 2009 16:17:36 GMT -5
well, each of the groups I mentioned had their own little way of humor. With the Stooges it was slapstick, with the Marxes it was wordplay and skewering of people in authority, with Abbott and Costello it was wordplay and puns, and Laurel and Hardy, to an extent, was a mixture of slapstick and wordplay/puns (IMO anyway, feel free to disagree).
I dunno, I mean, I watched The Great Dictator, I watched Modern Times, I watched City Lights....but things just didn't click for me like when I watch, say, Duck Soup or Buck Privates or Block Heads. Those movies have scenes where I laugh out loud several times....with Chaplin's movies, I usually just chuckle a bit at best.
Meh, I'm rambling now, just wanted to finish giving my two cents on the situation.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 31, 2009 22:17:14 GMT -5
We have many Stooge fans here, which is cool. But to me they are the crude versions in regards to physical comedy. Like, Chaplin was the Beatles and the Stooges were the Archies.
If I were to add to one thing sol said, There's no doubt that Chaplin was the big cheese, numero uno - everyone is compared to him. And while I'm more a Keaton/Lloyd fan, I have nothing but respect for him and the impact he had on film comedy (plus he gave Buster a role in a film when nobody else would touch him - so kuddos to Charlie). But I think Roscie Fatty Arbuckle desevrves and doesn't get the credit for being one of silent comedies most influential forces. Both Chaplin and Keaton owe a great debt of gratitude to the man, he mentored and taught and gave advice... even worked a bit with Lloyd and gave Bob Hope his first break.
It's tragic the miscarrage of justice that destroyed his career. Had that not happened perhaps history would speak of the Big 4, rather than 3, of silent comedy.
Edit: And Muta, I don't want you to feel picked on... Though I'm enjoying this thread and think Chaplin deserves his aclaim. I too am in the "chuckle" category, even with the Mutuals.
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Post by solgroupie on Sept 2, 2009 18:39:59 GMT -5
chaplin and first national films 1919 chaplin was not satisfied with sunnyside. i've wondered if he was ever completely satisfied with any film he made - always wondering if he could have done more. but he said that making sunnyside was like pulling teeth. he was newly married to his sixteen-year-old bride, mildred harris. chaplin had just turned thirty and vanity was the only reason he pursued harris, and what may have been a lie about pregnancy was what forced him into marriage. yet, i love sunnyside. big shock, right? but i do. charlie plays a jack-of-all-trades at a little hotel in the small town of sunnyside. maybe i just identify with the opening scene of sunnyside: the tramp's demanding and cranky boss wakes him up much too early to begin work, only to go back to sleep himself. meanwhile, the tramp makes noises to make the boss think he's up and getting ready for work, when he's actually curled back up in bed, falling asleep again. it takes several threats to motivate the tramp in beginning his duties. tom wilson, who played the cantankerous boss of the tramp in sunnysidethe tramp prepares breakfast while his abusive boss reads his bible. i love the tramp’s methods of getting breakfast ready - placing a squawking hen in the frying pan where she conveniently lays an egg; bringing the cow in and milking just enough for two cups of coffee. it is sunday morning in sunnyside, and everyone but the tramp goes to church. his church - the sky - his alter, the landscape one short scene always makes me laugh in sunnyside - it’s watching a local father and son leave for church services. tiny loyal underwood is the father of the rather portly son, tom wood. the son lifts the father to eye level so he can have his tie checked before they leave. and i always laugh when the pair go through the door at the church. i don’t know if i can explain it - i think you’d just have to watch it. it’s quick, but so funny. meanwhile, the herd of cows escape the tramp’s notice due to the reading he is doing while walking along the country road. when he realizes they are gone, he searches everywhere for them and when the members of the church come pouring outside, the tramp goes inside to investigate - and rides a member of the herd out of the church and wildly down the road. you can’t say chaplin didn’t earn his money. the tramp is thrown and lands unconscious beneath a bridge. waking him up in a dream is a group of lovely long-haired girls. the tramp is overwhelmed by their beauty, and becomes irresistibly drawn to their dance, a tribute of sorts to famed ballet dancer, nijinsky. chaplin saw the dancer perform in the ballet scheherazade and in his autobiography chaplin said of him, “the moment he appeared i was electrified. i have seen few geniuses in the world, and nijinsky was one of them. he was hypnotic, godlike, his sombreness suggesting moods of other worlds; every movement was poetry, every leap a flight into strange fancy.” the dance of the nymphs in sunnysidewhile the tramp’s dance with the nymphs may not have been quite as lyrical, it is nonetheless entertaining. the girls were indeed lovely, and i have said many times i have no doubt that chaplin methodically bedded every one of them during the filming of sunnyside. tea time on the set of sunnysidewhen the tramp falls beneath the bridge again, he comes to as his boss and a few others are forcing him back to a grim reality. his boss kicks him in the bum all the way home, leading us to the second half of the story. his one joy in his life is his girl, edna. he visits her and presents her with a ring that she accepts happily. add one more scene between chaplin and edna that seems to flow so naturally, although i have often wondered how their relationship was off screen at this point. like the rest of the world, edna had to read about chaplin's first marriage in the newspaper - that couldn't have been easy for her. but they were charming as ever on screen together. chaplin and edna purviance in sunnysidethe tramp’s life is disrupted by the stranger from the city, played by handsome tom terriss. he wrecks his car and is brought in to the hotel, where he must spend the night. a funny scene plays out as the county doctor is called in to do a quick examination of the young man, with the tramp taking it upon himself to “help.” that was back when a bottle of hooch was standard medical equipment. the tramp is quite taken with the young man - very impressed by his clothes, money - but most of all his walking stick that has a lighter fixed to one end to light his expensive cigarettes. when edna comes to the hotel for a few items (evidently the hotel has a general store of sorts as well), and the tramp does not appreciate the way the stranger looks her over. he is even more upset to see the stranger follow edna out and watches them talk together. he sinks down on a chair in despair. the tramp, discovering he has been replaced by the strangerwhat follows is the tramp’s pathetic attempt to impress edna the way the stranger from the city has done. he dresses up (although his nicest outfit is just his regular tramp clothes) and sort of macgyver’s his walking stick to light his cigarette, although he only manages to alight his foot on fire in the process. the entire enterprise is a failure, as edna sorrowfully returns the tramp’s ring. he leaves as the stranger moves in on edna, who is much happier to see him than she is the tramp. the tramp decides to commit suicide by standing in front of a moving car. but fortunately the crash of the car into his backside wakes him up from the nightmare he had been having - and to the reality of his boss kicking his ass yet again for falling asleep on the job. he is ordered to take the stranger’s bags to his waiting car so he can leave. when edna happens to come in, the tramp defends his territory like a ferocious little bulldog. the stranger leaves and the tramp and edna hug joyfully. a day’s pleasure was also made for first national films in 1919. most of it was, anyway. chaplin used pieces of discarded scenes to put something together for a day’s pleasure for first national, who was getting demanding despite their “no time limit” promise. the tramp takes his family, which consists of edna and their three sons (the youngest one played by jackie coogan, minus the hotpants) out for a boat ride. after a trying experience getting their car to start, they head off. there is an incredible moment in a day’s pleasure when what ii think is a man (perhaps bergman yet again) dressed as a woman races to the boat with her baby carriage. the carriage makes it on board, but the woman just misses her opportunity and is suspended between the boat and the dock. it looked like one of those things that could have only happened once for the camera. unfortunately, most everyone on the boat is stricken with sea sickness. one of my favorite parts is the sickly tramp sitting next to a jazz combo, trying not to hurl as the trombone player moves the instrument back and forth so much that the tramp seizes it and tosses it overboard. the musician, a black man, is seen with a white makeup on his face to display his nausea as well. there isn’t a whole lot of meat to a day’s pleasure - not as much story as chaplin usually enforced in his films. perhaps he was just feeling so rushed by first national and overwhelmed at the moment by his personal life. but there is plenty of slapstick. the funniest scene for me is watching the tramp try to unfold a deck chair. my dad happened to be at my house while i, along with my sister and nephews were watching a day’s pleasure and he watched that scene, which thrilled me - he had no interest in chaplin. since my dad used to own a patio furniture store at the beach, he really got a kick out of that scene and laughed almost nonstop while it played out to the end - the tramp calmly picks up the chair after numerous attempts and simply drops it overboard. another mistaken identity gag gets the tramp into a fistfight with another man, who leaves the boat with two black eyes. the final scene of the film takes place at a traffic jam, where the tramp and another man get into an argument in a sticky supply of fresh tar. after some funny bits, the tramp triumphantly gets back into his car and his family speeds away. chaplin and a rather subdued edna in a day's pleasurechaplin’s frustrations with work and with his personal life were only beginning. but out of such trials would come his first true masterpiece, which i eagerly look forward to discussing next.
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Post by Bix Dugan on Sept 3, 2009 9:41:49 GMT -5
Hey SG-
I have a VHS copy of Gold Rush on my shelf. Should I watch it?
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Post by solgroupie on Sept 3, 2009 10:22:29 GMT -5
um, no.
durhey! yes, i recommend the gold rush with all my black heart. it is the film chaplin said himself that he wanted to be remembered by. but there are two versions of the gold rush - the original one made in 1925, and then the one that was re-released in '42. the '42 version is not silent, but narrated by chaplin. the ending is also altered. although i love chaplin's voice, i never watch it and i hope you have the original silent version. let me know if you watch it, and what you think!
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Post by doctorz on Sept 3, 2009 14:56:48 GMT -5
You did a fine and beautiful job with this series of Chaplin posts Solgroupie. Makes me want to see his films again.
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