Sterling again, though without the goatee, and the gulf betwen him and Chaplin and Arbuckle is certainly... notable. Fatty has by far the lesser role of the three of them here, but it's still nice having him around. The three comedians are rivals for a hat-check girl's affections at the local dance hall. Fatty and Sterling are musicians, Charlie is a suave drunk. There's no nore to it than that, but it's different enough to be very watchable.
Chaplin is the very model of subtlety, understatement and poise- he is without his moustache here, and he just looks like he did in all those old newsreel films: young, fresh, innocent and English, with a hell of a head of hair and wildly excited eyes. He has a couple of fight scenes with Sterling and here at least the great gesticulator is... good. Sterling takes a good fall, a spinning eye-catching collapse and back up again. The fight scenes momentarily becomes dances themselves. But wherever he is and whatever he is doing, you can't help watching Chaplin. We are watching him with hindsight of course because of what he became, but even if you're judging him on what he is, you're watching someone who shouldn't have been allowed to fill the same screen as Ford Sterling. He is so clearly putting the older comedian to shame with every movement he makes.
Showing posts with label 1914. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1914. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Mabel's Strange Predicament (Normand / Chaplin 1914)
This was a tiny joy and I really wasn't expecting it to be. Perhaps that's the thing- it's all about expectations. The Chaplin Mutuals were going to be masterpieces, the Chaplin Keystones were going to be simple-minded, barbaric slugfests. And it was silly of me to be thinking like that, even subconsciously. A lot of the other Kesytones I've seen I've really enjoyed. And I really enjoyed this one. Smile on my face all the way through. Lousy DVD print though- French intertitles, inappropriate music, and I'm not even sure the whole thing was there. But the film itself? I loved it.
And such a great, simple farce idea- Mabel is locked out of her hotel room in her pyjamas. After an encounter with an amorous drunk (Chaplin really doesn't seem to be playing a tramp here, it's just the same costume isn't it?) she ends up under Chester Conklin's bed while his wife is out of the room. So simple, and so pregnant with possibilities for the aspiring slapstick hound.
Charlie is actually rather more than a bit player here- whether it's a question of the presentation of the surviving material or not I couldn't say, but his amount of screentime seems pretty much equal with Mabel's: he has whole scenes to himself and he makes the most of them. He is hypnotic for all manner of reasons. Mabel herself is extraordinarily cute, but I've seen her better than this- she is outshone in the scene she shares with Chaplin in the hotel corridor. I'm not buying her the way I'm buying Chaplin. Her movements belong to another age, Chaplin's belong to every age. And I like Mabel Normand, don't get me wrong.
And such a great, simple farce idea- Mabel is locked out of her hotel room in her pyjamas. After an encounter with an amorous drunk (Chaplin really doesn't seem to be playing a tramp here, it's just the same costume isn't it?) she ends up under Chester Conklin's bed while his wife is out of the room. So simple, and so pregnant with possibilities for the aspiring slapstick hound.
Charlie is actually rather more than a bit player here- whether it's a question of the presentation of the surviving material or not I couldn't say, but his amount of screentime seems pretty much equal with Mabel's: he has whole scenes to himself and he makes the most of them. He is hypnotic for all manner of reasons. Mabel herself is extraordinarily cute, but I've seen her better than this- she is outshone in the scene she shares with Chaplin in the hotel corridor. I'm not buying her the way I'm buying Chaplin. Her movements belong to another age, Chaplin's belong to every age. And I like Mabel Normand, don't get me wrong.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Fatty's Suitless Day (Fatty's Magic Pants) (Arbuckle 1914)
Having just noticed on IMDB that that's Charley Chase- Charley Chase!- playing Fatty's romantic rival here, there's a temptation, I've got to be honest with you, to go back and watch it again. I never would have known- passed me by completely. I'm going to have to start studying these cast lists before I watch the films, because I'm obviously still out of my depth here.
This is also the first truly silent film I've seen- whether the DVD had no sound to start with or I've just ended up with a dodgy copy I couldn't say, but I had to hum to myself to keep my ears busy. The lack of music makes a huge difference actually, especially as my bulging CD collection doesn't really throw up anything that would fit the piece.
Fatty wants to take his girl to a charity ball- it's an evening dress affair though, and evening dress he does not have. Fortunately his rival for the girl's affections- Charley Chase!- is over-endowed in the evening dress department, and so Fatty hatches his plan. The upshot of it all is that Fatty ends up mid-ball sans trousers, and what's interesting is that Fatty well and truly gets his comeuppance here- this surely isn't what we, the discriminating viewer, want though is it? Of the two lovers he's the one with wit and grace- he's the chap we want to see come out on top. Admittedly no-one involved really had an honest idea how to end this though, because the whole conclusion is the work of a tired, harrassed hack.
Some good bits in here- there's a good comical fight scene between the suitors, and Fatty has a jaunty trick of throwing a top hat onto his head that is worth pausing the DVD and re-viewing. He makes a first rate toff as well does Fatty- he is always so watchable, and as much of a ballet dancer as Chaplin ever was.
This is also the first truly silent film I've seen- whether the DVD had no sound to start with or I've just ended up with a dodgy copy I couldn't say, but I had to hum to myself to keep my ears busy. The lack of music makes a huge difference actually, especially as my bulging CD collection doesn't really throw up anything that would fit the piece.
Fatty wants to take his girl to a charity ball- it's an evening dress affair though, and evening dress he does not have. Fortunately his rival for the girl's affections- Charley Chase!- is over-endowed in the evening dress department, and so Fatty hatches his plan. The upshot of it all is that Fatty ends up mid-ball sans trousers, and what's interesting is that Fatty well and truly gets his comeuppance here- this surely isn't what we, the discriminating viewer, want though is it? Of the two lovers he's the one with wit and grace- he's the chap we want to see come out on top. Admittedly no-one involved really had an honest idea how to end this though, because the whole conclusion is the work of a tired, harrassed hack.
Some good bits in here- there's a good comical fight scene between the suitors, and Fatty has a jaunty trick of throwing a top hat onto his head that is worth pausing the DVD and re-viewing. He makes a first rate toff as well does Fatty- he is always so watchable, and as much of a ballet dancer as Chaplin ever was.
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