Tag Archives: chaplin

A Woman of Paris (1923) Review

Posted on by
Reply

A Woman of Paris (1923) Director: Charlie Chaplin

★★★☆☆

Unlike Charlie Chaplin’s other films, A Woman of Paris, is a serious, somber story that does not feature the Little Tramp character at all. Likely for this reason, A Woman of Paris was a box office failure, as many audiences were hoping to see another classic Chaplin comedy picture. Its financial failings caused great pain to Chaplin at the time. In some ways, A Woman of Paris may be considered his first feature production, as it was released through the newly formed United Artists production company, though in truth his first true feature-length film was The Kid (1921).  

The beginning of the film displays a title warning the audience that Chaplin does not actually appear in the film (though he makes a minor cameo during the train station scene). A Woman of Paris tells the story of Marie St. Clair, a woman of Paris, who plans a romantic rendezvous with her lover, Jean Millet. Upon learning of the trist, both her father and Jean’s family reject Marie. Nevertheless Jean and Marie plan to meet at the train station to elope in Paris. In actuality the film was shot in Los Angeles, CA. However, Jean’s father suddenly dies causing Jean to call Marie and cancel their escapade but no one answers.

Years later, Marie is living a lavish life in Paris as the mistress of Pierre Revel. By accident, she bumps into Jean who is now living in a flat with his mother. They rekindle their romance, but Jean’s mother does not approve of their love. Marie overhears their squabble and she runs back to Pierre. In a frenzy, Jean attacks Pierre and in the ensuing fight he mortally wounds himself. In anger, Jean’s mother goes to find Marie to kill her, but she finds her weeping over Jean’s lifeless body. Only now is she able to see Marie’s true love. The two women embrace and leave Paris together to start an orphanage in the country for children. One day they catch a ride back and pass a chauffeured coach, and inside is Pierre. A man asks him whatever happened to Marie, and he says he does not know.

The story for A Woman of Paris was loosely based on Chaplin’s romance with Peggy Hopkins Joyce, a notorious and lavish socialite of the ’20s and ’30s known for having numerous affairs in France and the United States. Upon its release, A Woman of Paris was not well received by audiences, however it has since been reappraised and has received critical acclaim for the complexity of its characters and orchestration of its plot –somewhat of a novelty at the time of its release. Mary Pickford gave notable praise for the film.

I found A Woman of Paris to be rather bland and forgettable, but certainly not a poor film. The plot and character development are both unique novelties for the time, however the film is greatly overshadowed by Chaplin’s other, grander works. If not for Chaplin’s involvement, A Woman of Paris would likely be wholly forgotten.

Charlie Chaplin’s First National Films (1917-1918)

Posted on by
Reply

In 1917-1918, Charlie Chaplin was seeking more independence and greater creative license over his films which he believed were becoming too stagnant and predictable. His relationship with Mutual ended amicably, and he signed an eight-film contract with First National. His years with First National would prove to be some of the most important in his career. Both Chaplin’s and Mary Pickford’s contracts with First National were the first million dollar contracts in cinematic history. With his newfound riches, Chaplin built his own studio on five acres along Sunset Boulevard. It completed in January 1918. He also built an incredible California Spanish-style home in Beverly Hills, a home which has since been occupied by numerous other famous Hollywood actors over the years.

His first film, A Dog’s Life, was released in 1918 and it is one of his most extraordinary early short films, showcasing a more sophisticated film-maker than he was in his earlier shorts. Chaplin then released a pair of propaganda films to encourage the sale of war bonds on the heels of World War I (Chaplin had also received criticism for not enlisting in the war, though he was fully prepared to be drafted if needed). He also released his first full feature-length film, The Kid, a beautiful melodrama which was partly autobiographical. It was also, in part, inspired as a result of his failing marriage to Mildred Harris, and their child which died in infancy. In this period, Chaplin’s Tramp character had reached its pinnacle.

Also during this period, Chaplin created United Artists, a joint venture with fellow artists, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. He attempted a buyout of his contract with First National in order to focus on his own productions through United Artists, but the deal fell through and First National requested that Chaplin finish producing his eight films. Here is a short selection of his First National films that I watched:

#1 A Dog’s Life (1918)
The Tramp playfully toys with police officers on the street before looking for a job and eventually rescuing a stray dog. He goes into a cabaret where dogs are not allowed bringing the dog with him, his wagging tail sticking out of his backside. He meets a sad girl and tries to make her laugh, before he is kicked out of the cabaret. His dog discovers a wallet that has been hidden by thieves outside. The thieves discover the Tramp and his dog with the wallet and this leads to a chase scene across town. Eventually the thieves are arrested, and the Tramp uses the money to purchase a farm for himself and the girl. The film ends as they look into a cradle as newlyweds (inside are puppies). A Dog’s Life is surely one of the best of Chaplin’s early short films.

#3 Sunnyside (1919)  (Note: The Bond is a film made and funded entirely by Chaplin, and thus Sunnyside is actually the third film made for First National, not the fourth). 
The film takes place in the beautiful rural village of Sunnyside. The Tramp works as a farmhand at the Evergreen Hotel. His boss is the angry pastor. He ironically sits under a sign reading “Love Thy Neighbor” as he yells at the Tramp. He makes all manner of faux pas, including accidentally letting a cow into the church of Sunnyside. He goes to visit his love-interest. He has a notable dream with a group of nymphettes. He tries to imitate a wealthy gentleman from the city in order to win his love-interest’s heart, he looks on from a window and sadly feels he is losing her heart. He is mocked for dressing so oddly in attempted imitation. The films ends ambiguously as he appears to stand waiting for a car to hit him -the film suddenly flashes to an image of the Tramp chasing away the wealthy gentleman and he embraces his lover at the end. It is a questionably “sunnyside” ending, but nevertheless an amazing and beautiful Chaplin short film.

#4 A Day’s Pleasure (1919)
A Day’s Pleasure is a very funny short Chaplin film, shot very quickly. It portrays the Tramp and his family of four as they go out for a day – the slapstick gags begin as soon as they leave the house in their rocky automobile, then they board a boat that causes everyone seasickness, and on the return trip home the Tramp gets into a squabble with a traffic police officer. Edna Purviance, frequent collaborator and one of Chaplin’s romance interests, plays his wife (she co-starred with Chaplin in over 30 of his films). Jackie Coogan, the famous co-star of Chaplin’s The Kid, plays one of the children in A Days Pleasure (1919).

#6 Pay Day (1922)
This short film has a series of gags involving the Tramp working as a day-laborer at a construction site. He fights for his fair wage, after doing some incorrect math. His shrew of a wife takes all of his money, but he prefers to go out drinking, He gets back home just in the nick of time, to pretend he has to return to work. This was the last of his two-reel films.

Charlie Chaplin’s Mutual Shorts (1916-1917) Review

Posted on by
Reply

In 1916, Charlie Chaplin again changed film studios to produce 12 films over a one-year period at a salary valued at approximately ten times his Essanay salary – $670,000 (or approximately $15.4M in today’s dollars). He was 26 years old. At first he produced a new two-reel short film every four weeks, but soon he began demanding more time to create his films. He was starting building his future production team for his forthcoming feature-length films, as well. In 1917, he produced only four films for Mutual: Easy Street, The Cure, The Immigrant, and The Adventurer. These are widely celebrated today by film scholars as some of his best, and Chaplin would later reflect on his time at Mutual as some of the happiest years of his career. As his contract waned with Mutual, Chaplin amicably parted ways so that he could pursue a more independent schedule. By that point, he had begun to grow concerned with the formulaic nature of his short films.

Image result for chaplin mutual

#1 The Floorwalker (1916)
In his Mutual debut, The Tramp stumbles into a department store which is under the tyrannical control of a manager and his associate who are embezzling money through the business. Interestingly, the Tramp looks a great deal like the owner. After causing chaos in the store, they decide to trade places just as an investigator arrives to inspect the store’s suspicious financial practices. The film contains a hilarious series of gags involving an escalator inside the store.

#2 The Fireman (1916)
A local businessman creates an arrangement with the local fire chief to allow his house to burn down as part of an insurance fraud scheme. Meanwhile the Tramp chaotically prevents a real fire in town, and when the businessman discovers that his daughter is actually trapped inside his burning house, the Tramp heroically comes to the rescue.

#3 The Vagabond (1916)
The film opens with the Tramp causing a brawl in a bar while trying to musically make some money. He flees to the country where he meets a traveling group of gypsies, and he falls in love with one of them, Edna. He rescues her from the abusive group, but she meets an artist and falls in love with him instead. He paints her and his remarkable painting features her unique shamrock birthmark. Wealthy arts patrons witness the painting and recognize her. They come to rescue her, offering the Tramp money in exchange, which he refuses. She is whisked away in a car only to turn around and ask the Tramp to join her in the end. This short film is extraordinary for its complex plot, more sophisticated cinematic techniques, Urban/Western themes, and melodramatic romantic subplot which will be featured in many later Chaplin productions.

#4 One A.M. (1916)
One A.M. is unique in the early Chaplin collection. For the most part, Chaplin stars alone in the film. The Tramp, curiously staged as a wealthy man, is a very drunk man returning home from a night of binge-drinking in the city, and the bulk of the film covers the great difficulties he experiences while attempting to break into his own house and get to bed in his drunken state. The film closes as he is unable to sleep in his collapsing bed so he curls up in his bathtub.

#6 The Pawnshop (1916)
The Tramp works in a pawnshop –the film is a classic example of Chaplin’s early physical, slapstick comedy. Several scenes of particular amusement: an endless ladder gag outside the shop, and his famous bit wherein a customer brings in a clock to sell. The Tramp takes the clock and carefully disassembles it, but then puts all the pieces into the man’s hat and informs him they will not accept the clock for sale. Then a crook enters the store and the Tramp comes to the rescue by vanquishing the robber.

#8 The Rink (1916)
This film begins with the-ever-so chaotic Tramp as a waiter, and in the second half he goes to a skating rink where he is actually quite a coordinated skater. However, he accidentally gets into an accident with an attractive young woman which causes a riot, but he narrowly escapes.

#9 Easy Street (1917)
The Tramp lives as a vagrant on the streets but he is spiritually awakened at a church/nonprofit organization by a young woman. He gets a job working on Easy Street and gets into scuffles with a local bully. In the end, he restores peace and order to Easy Street. A new Mission nonprofit church is built in the end.

#11 The Immigrant
The film opens with The Tramp aboard a boat, leaning over the edge catching fish and frolicking around the rocking boat. He meets an attractive woman as they sail past the Statue of Liberty. Upon arrival he loses a coin, and desperately searches for it only for an artist to offer to pay for his meal with the girl, but he politely declines, only to steal the artist’s tip to pay for his own meal. He travels to get his marriage license, carrying the girl in protest.

Charlie Chaplin’s Essanay Shorts (~1915) Review

Posted on by
Reply

In 1915, Charlie Chaplin struck up a deal with the Essanay Film Company, a small film company based out of Chicago, IL. Through Essanay, Chaplin directed and starred in 14 films in 1915 (there was at least one later film patched together by the studio composed of Chaplin outtakes released in 1918). By the 1920s, Essanay was absorbed by Warner Brothers, Chaplin was always their biggest asset. Essanay would be entirely forgotten today were it not for this series of Chaplin shorts.

Chaplin was lured to Essanay, away from his current contract Keystone, under the promise of a higher salary. At the time, there was a minor bidding war among small studios for Chaplin due to his massive popularity among American audiences. Charlie Chaplin was often criticized by his co-workers as Essanay who found him to be too intensely meticulous. When he first joined Essanay, Chaplin hated his time in Chicago, despising the unpredictable weather, so he only filmed one Essanay movie in Chicago before departing for Hollywood. He left Essanay after only a year in order to find greater creative control elsewhere. His departure effectively spelled the end of Essanay. When all was said and done Chaplin made 14 films in 1915 with Essanay, and today the most celebrated of his Essanay shorts is The Tramp (1915).

The Essanay Chaplin shorts demonstrate a greater sense of sophistication in his movie-making. These films portray a more unique, refined character and improved cinematic techniques which contrast sharply with the static slapstick comedy of his earlier Keystone shorts.

Image result for chaplin essanay

Here is a short sampling of Chaplin’s Essanay films I recently watched as part of my film project:

#1 His New Job (1915)
This is the only film Chaplin made in Chicago before he quickly returned to California where he found the climate more favorable. The title has a double meaning, as it was indeed Chaplin’s own “new job” in his first Essanay film. Chaplin plays his “Tramp” character as a stage hand in line for a disastrous new job -he is unexpectedly promoted to become the main character in a new film (it is a short film about a film).

#2 A Night Out (1915)
This was Chaplin’s first Essanay film made in California. It was also his first film with Edna Purviance, a woman he happened to meet who would become his leading lady in a number of films at the time. She was also his romantic love interest, a frequent theme throughout Chaplin’s career. The short film contains many of the familiar gags – transients, drunkenness, bumbling policemen, and flirtatious women. Chaplin and a friend get drunk and cause a scene at a restaurant only to be thrown out, and they flee to a hotel where they also cause a disturbance. The film lasts just over 30 minutes.

#3 The Champ (1915)
The Champ is one of Chaplin’s more celebrated Essanay films. Chaplin as “the tramp” sits outside a beat-up house and pulls a hotdog out of his pocket that not even his bulldog wants to eat. He finds a “lucky” horseshoe and stumbles onto a boxing match training challenge. With the horseshoe loaded in his glove, he promptly knocks out the chief “pugilist.” He amusingly falls in love with the trainer’s daughter. In the end, he wins the big and chaotic boxing match with the help of his bulldog. He wins a kiss from the girl, as well. As with all of his Essanay shorts, The Champ lasts about 30 minutes.

#6 The Tramp
The Tramp is the most popular of Chaplin’s Essanay films, and the last one shot in Essnay’s Niles studio in California. The film tells the story of “the tramp” who finds the love of his life, a young woman with a boyfriend, but upon realizing they cannot be together, he departs alone. It is notable for introducing a sentimental picture of “the tramp” particularly when the tramp turns to walk down the road at the end, alone. It is a trope that will be re-used again in nearly all of his feature-length filmography. What effect does this give to the audience? Why include a sentimental portrait of the Tramp? Perhaps it gives the viewer a yearning for more of this little fellow, we finally see him as relatable rather than some distant drunken fool. It carries sadness for love’s labor lost (to paraphrase Shakespeare), and it leaves the audience with a desire for the tragicomedy not to end.