Wendy's Films of 2010: The Chaplin Revue

In an attempt to broaden my experience with Charlie Chaplin and to catch up with my film watching (reaching 365 films seems less doable as each day passes), I decided to watch a bunch of shorts released as The Chaplin Revue.

#69. A Dog's Life (1918)

I wasn't sure what to expect from a Chaplin short; would it be as funny, as well thought through and wonderful? Here, the Little Tramp not only finds himself living like a dog, but also feels sorry for and adopts a pup he finds on the street. Humour ensues as he tries to smuggle the dog around in his pants while courting a beautiful young singer, and outsmarts two thieves in the process. A Dog's Life proves that even in a short film, Chaplin is still charming and his stories are still full of laughs, gags, and heart. It's a great start to the Revue, and I'd recommend it for sure.

#70. Shoulder Arms (1918)

This film seems to trod along the line of the Tramp's stories very well. It's not particularly special, though the tree trunk episode is quite good, but it definitely suits the rest of Chaplin's work. In it, Chaplin is a young army recruit during WWI who volunteers to don a tree suit and attack the enemies from behind their own lines; he meets a young French woman and later manages some pretty outstanding military feats. Though there wasn't a whole lot to make this one stand out among a crowd, it still feels like a little piece of Chaplin home.

#71. The Pilgrim (1923)

At an hour long, this one is almost a little lengthy to be called a short film, but like most (or all, depending on your view) of Chaplin's films it's certainly worth your while. One of my favourite aspects of a Chaplin film is the way he incorporates really good story lines with the gags and jokes. Really, it's what makes Chaplin, Chaplin. In The Pilgrim, he plays an escaped convict who disguises himself as a new pastor about to arrive at the town church. Of course, hilarity commences. I particularly liked the end and its political and cultural implications, though I don't want to ruin it so I'll let you discover it for yourself.

#72. A Day's Pleasure (1919)

Considering my last review, it's interesting that A Day's Pleasure is heavily dependent on gags and slap-stick to entertain, as opposed to an engaging story. In it, Chaplin plays a father taking his family out on a day trip, and most of the humour comes from incidents with the unknown. Seasickness and a collapsible chair provide momentary distraction, though these sequences aren't as funny as others might have been. At times it feels like the film was thought out and filmed in a couple days, though it's quality would suggest that even if this were the case, Chaplin has a better creative mind than most of today's comedians. I wouldn't say it's any better or worse than The Pilgrim, it's just lighter and more of a fun 20ish minute romp than anything else.

#73. Sunnyside (1919)

Most of this film is spent going back and forth between the real world and the romantic dreams of a farm boy (Chaplin). As he tries to win the heart of a young woman in town, a man from the city comes and captures it, leaving the young farm hand to pine and think of ways to win her back. It's not the most engrossing film, but it's enjoyable. There seemed to be hints of Chaplin's City Lights in this one, especially in the way he courts the young woman he loves. I also like the ambiguity of the ending, not knowing if the boy has succeeded in winning her heart, or if it was all a dream.

#74. The Idle Class (1921)

The concept of this story was definitely one of my favourites out of the Revue. The Tramp is unassumingly mistaken for the wealthy husband of an upper class woman at a costume party; the woman is far more pleased with the character of the Tramp and is happy at the change in her drunken husband's demeanour. Of course the whole thing is revealed to be a mistake in the end, but for a few confused hours the Tramp lives the life of the upper class.

One of my favourite gags in the whole thing, one that the beloved store manager Chris also mentioned to me, takes place after the rich husband reads a letter from his wife, saying: "I am taking up other quarters until you rid yourself of your drinking habit." He turns, sobbing, his body shaking with remorse; that is, at least, until he faces the camera again and you discover that he's not upset, but he's shaking himself a martini. It might even be my favourite of all Charlie Chaplin's gags. Clever, simple and brilliant.

#75. Pay Day (1922)

The last of the short films might be my favourite Chaplin film, or at least my favourite Chaplin short. There are enough funny moments in this to fill a feature length film without getting bored, and Chaplin in his genius puts them so close together that I couldn't stop chuckling for nearly half an hour. The best sequence has to be the one that takes place while Chaplin's poor labouring class man is on lunch break. As the small construction elevator next to him rises and falls, his non-existent lunch becomes more and more delicious, while his boss's is diminished to hammers and red-hot metal.

The charming nature of the poor man's luck and bad luck is what always gets me with Chaplin films. In this one, he never expects to eat lunch, but it suddenly pops into his life by chance. Upon his drunken return home, he discovers his angry wife asleep with a rolling pin. He crawls into the bathtub to sleep instead, only to discover that it's filled with water, and decides to stay in it anyway.

If you only want to check out a few shorts, at least take a look at this one, A Dog's Life, and The Idle Class. They're a great way to introduce yourself to one of comedy's greatest filmmakers, especially if you're not accustomed to silent film.

Wendy's FIlms of 2010 #32: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

I honestly thought I'd seen this before! And I must admit I'm a little ashamed that I hadn't seen it all the way through - the ending if fantastic. It does, however, give me the occasion to write this review, which is nice. It's the tale of a the young man that watches as mysterious killings start to occur after Dr. Caligari's Somnambulist at the town fair predicts one man's death. Of course I can't mention the film without putting it in the context of German Expressionism, a movement that saw intense shadows, angular shapes and high contrast between light and dark in the lighting and makeup of its cinema. It was the forbearer of Film Noir, and its impact on this film makes the story even more dark, twisted and sinister. The film is much better than I remember it being, perhaps because I'd just started studying film the first time I saw it and wasn't as appreciative of silent cinema as I am now. The quality of the film was enhanced by my good fortune to see it with a live orchestral group called Melodeon in a church with amazing acoustics. The score by Andrew Downing, a member of the group, was fantastic and made every menacing moment even more forbidding. It is a must see for any film student, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to step outside the box and see something quite different from what they've had the opportunity to watch before.

Chris 2010 Viewings #15: The Freshman

US, 1925. Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor. Starring Harold Lloyd.

The quickest way to set my teeth a-gritting when discussing classic films with me is to dis Chaplin in order to elevate Keaton. Both were masters, indisputably great, leave it at that. Like one better than the other? Good on ya. Still, I’m immediately suspicious of someone who needs to rigorously assert their Keaton fandom, as if it were a badge of non-conformity against the big, bad popular favourite Charlot. If someone tells me they think Harold Lloyd is greater than either, I just dismiss them as crazy.

This not to say Lloyd is a poor silent screen comedian. On the contrary, he’s a very likable screen personality and his gags are always pure in conception and clear in execution. But I’m always surprised anew at how vague a screen personality Lloyd is. Everyone knows the glasses, but what else does Lloyd stand for? The “everyman” we’re meant to identify with, but not a striking screen persona.

The Freshman is a fine Lloyd comedy, usually reckoned to be his best, except by those who pretend to have seen Safety Last because they once saw a poster of Lloyd hanging off the clock above traffic. He plays a young man who goes off to college with a healthy savings account and an overwhelming desire to be the most popular guy at school. He blows most of his money on day one, buying ice cream for his new “friends”, and quickly earns a reputation as the school buffoon, thinking his is on the football team when he’s really just the waterboy.

My general problem with Lloyd’s films is that, as good and as cleanly designed as his gags are, the setups are glaringly obvious, the complications broadly telegraphed, and most gags usually work out exactly as you expect them to. Example: Lloyd holds a huge party to further his bid to be big man on campus, but his tailor does not complete his suit on time. At the party, the tailor says “I will ring a bell if your outfit splits”. We see a couple at a table with a bell. We think “the man will ring it and Lloyd will panic because he thinks his outfit has split”. This is exactly what transpires. Lloyd eventually notices the couple with the bell and think “I bet his outfit will split and the tailor will ring the bell and he will think it’s the couple and laugh it off.” And he does.

There are exceptions, but rarely do you get the wonderful sense of wonder and surprise that are the mark of the great physical comics: Chaplin, Keaton, Chan. There is a wonderful gag during the party sequence where Lloyd appears to be sitting at the table with a pretty young thing. In reality, his lower body is bent back through the curtain behind his chair, where the tailor is furiously working away on Lloyd’s pants. The tailor passes out, and we see Lloyd slowly sinking down in his seat. The effect is wonderfully funny and like a tonic amidst the conventional gags.

The party scene and climactic football game are the showpieces here and each works like a charm. As a primer in the mechanics of silent screen comedy, this is a terrific and likable film. Still, after years of trying, it's hard as ever for me to see Lloyd as deserving a place above the second tier of silent comics.