Chaplin is one of those rarest of stars, an actor so huge that he is not only cited as one of the greatest and most influential names in the history of cinema, but a man who can lay legitimate claim to being the face of his generation. Like John Wayne, his is a name that film geeks and casual movie-goers alike will be familiar with, even if they have never seen one of his works. And what a body of work it is. As both an actor and a director Chaplin is responsible for some of the greatest Hollywood films, movies like The Gold Rush, Modern Times and The Great Dictator.
What makes this film as hilarious now as it was when it came out nearly a hundred years ago is the perfection of the physical comedy involved. Chaplin, like Keaton and Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle, understood the tremendous importance of physicality in silent cinema, and by honing his craft and directing his own pictures, he was able to master the skill of making an audience laugh without ever saying a word.
I really wanted to bring you something from Chaplin because at the end of a long week there is nothing better than having a good laugh. This short will have you in stitches, and if you like it then I urge you to check out some of Chaplin’s more well known works. In many ways, he still sets the standard for cinematic comedy.
