Limelight (1952)

Why its here:
Kismet. A few days ago, I learned that this was Chaplin's last American/major film and the only one in which he worked with Buster Keaton. As luck would have it, we happened to be watching films from 1952 just as I made that discovery, so we decided to add it!

Specs
Just over 2 hours; black and white. We had trouble finding this one. It was not available for rental on Amazon or iTunes and (unusually) our library did not have it. We watched on Youtube in a very low quality version.
Set in 1914-1917

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Just a note about the version we watched -- We had to resort to Youtube and unfortunately what I could find was pretty low resolution. Worse still, it was divided into 9 segments, so we had to keep loading and clicking to see it all. Then there's even more bad news: the first segment of the 9 had been removed from Youtube! So, we filled in the first 10 minutes or so with another version that had the dialog overdubbed in Russian, which, I got to tell you, was an odd thing indeed.

Even with these strikes against our viewing experience, we still found the film to be riveting. It grew on us the more we watched, as we became more comfortable with the style of story being told .... which, though Chaplin, is not comedic. An aging, washed-up clown who saves the life of a young very depressed ballet dancer creates a poignant, sometimes humorous, and mostly philosophical drama -- and an excellent one at that.

Chaplin and Clair Bloom were perfect in the lead roles. And the great bulk of the film relies on their skill. I've heard criticism that Bloom overacts in the part of the dancer. While there were a few moments that felt overdone, these seemed to me to be by director's choice to highlight her struggle and not ill-suited to this melodramatic person/story. Her acting suited the character and their relationship (as scared and scarred people who become pillars for each other) suited the film.

I really want to watch (and listen) again in some version of quality in order to take notes on the dialog. Especially in the beginning when Chaplin's character Calvero was giving life advice to Bloom's Thereza. There are spectacularly philosophical bits of advice that would make great sound bites -- worthy of greeting cards, and facebook, and whatnot : )  Calvero is a top-notch friend with an incredible ability to be helpful but not cloying, overdone, or self-important. It is no wonder that Thereza falls in love with him.

And, on that topic, for once, a Hollywood May-December romance is handled well. Probably 40 years separate these two in age, but the implications of this age difference are not ignored. They form a central tenant of the film. The nuanced and difficult relationship makes perfect sense, and the film explores the core meaning of what it is to love and to care and to be grateful. ... And where  all of that fits into the notion of romantic love. It is a beautiful theme and really well-handled.

I mentioned Keaton as part of the reason we watched, but his role here is very small. Still, it is the highlight of the film to see Keaton and Chaplin together - still very funny, still silent geniuses. The act they do together is almost entirely without words and is wonderful.

A side note on the time period. we were thrilled to see a movie set in this time that actually felt like the proper era. (Compared to Easter Parade and even Singin' in the Rain, this felt very authentic as a period piece). The apartment, the landlady, the cars, the theater, the relationships, the food -- everything -- seemed spot on. Which makes sense given that between 1914 and 1917 Chaplin was making films with backdrops such as these and clearly knew whats what.

The film is of further interest for the backstory regarding Chaplin. We've been talking with the kids about the Hollywood red scare and blacklisting that arose in response to our nation's fervor to rid the country of Communist influences. A sad and disturbing chapter in the festival is the way the film industry was subjected to the heavy hand of politics, via the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, as the spectacle of the cold war reared in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Some were blacklisted, and many frightened and/or silenced. Those with liberal-leaning views (regardless of whether they were actually communist), were affected. Chaplin became persona non grata at the time of this film. Although some say Chaplin was "deported", in fact, it seems that when he left the country to promote his film abroad, his reentry visa was denied -- amounting to much the same thing. In any case, Chaplin did not return to the States until many years later, in the mid 1970s, when he accepted a lifetime acheivement Oscar.

Iconic shot:

Modern Times (1936)

Why it's here:
Hailed as the last great silent film, this is an interesting piece. It is not exactly silent. There are sound effects and some minimal dialog. The film utilized "sound" but it did not showcase it. It is made like a silent film -- with a silent ethos and a visual comedic style. And it is a masterpiece.

Specs:
Hour and a half, black and white, silent (sort of)

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.0

More about the film and our reaction to it:
First of all and most unexpected was the amazing Paulette Goddard - who is impossibly beautiful. I'd heard of her before but never seen her in anything. She has a modern look, expressions and movements, and reminded me palpably of Courtney Cox, only more beautiful. She is an extremely appealing co-star, but ultimately, the film is Chaplin's.

He is simply remarkable in this wonderful story of the down and out Tramp -- his last screen appearance as such. Chaplin was loathe to enter the sound era and did so only grudgingly. He made this film years after everyone else had given up the ghost of silents. But in holding on and in releasing this, he made me realize why everyone should have been loathe to give up the silent era. This type of comedy may not ever be seen on a large scale again, but it is superb and is still extremely watchable.

Chaplin's Tramp starts out the film as a worker in a factory assembly line on funny machinery doing funny maneuvers to the machine parts. Through various mishaps he is in and out of jail and various other jobs for the rest of the movie, linking up part way through with a spunky poverty stricken girl trying to make the best of life for herself and her little sister. Chaplin and Goddard do manage to achieve a great measure of success and togetherness, and slink off into the sunset together, but not before Chaplin performs the funniest song ever.

Interestingly, though this is a "silent" with little dialog and though Chaplin does not speak in the movie, he does sing. His song is the first time his voice had ever been heard on camera! The routine is a nonsense song accompanied by pantomime and it's hard to describe why, but is very very funny. We watched and re-watched the scene on Youtube more times then I'd care to know.

Iconic shot:
The banner image gracing the top of this website is the most iconic shot from the movie. So, for this post, I'll share one of Goddard.

The Gold Rush (1925)

Why it's here:
We needed a Charlie Chaplin feature. This one is often regarded as his best.

Specs:
1 1/2 hours, black and white, silent. We watched it on Netflix
The film is set in the California Gold Rush, around 1850

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):

7.38

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
You'd think I'd have more to say about this classic film, but I've got this weird thing going with Chaplin -- I find he brings out the silence in me. [pause for intended pun to sink in.] He brings out a lot of enjoyment too! Just not a lot of words. (And for that I'm sure people are grateful.)

In any case, this is a great film. Chaplin is wonderful and entertaining as always, and there is the extremely well-known bit where he makes the bread rolls dance.

argh. . . just watch it. Don't make me explain why.

Iconic shot:

A Dog's Life (1918)

Why it's included:
Although we tucked a few more Chaplin films into our festival at a later date, this one was our first. With very little experience of Chaplin and no real sense of where to start, I picked this film, truth be told, because it had a "dog" in the title.

Specs:
35 minutes; black and white, silent movie. Available on youtube.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.13

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
Chaplin is fantastic in his little Tramp character and he spends the movie side by side with a very sweet dog ('Scraps'). I don't know about you, but for us somehow, seeing a dog from long ago starring in a film is just charming.

The film is packed with great scenes and Chaplin's relationship with the dog is very appealing. Several moments in the movie really capture the imagination -- including the one where Chaplin rolls back and forth under the fence evading a cop, and later, sneaks rolls into his mouth right under the nose of the suspicious vendor. Both are hilarious.

As with other really old movies, A Dog's Life takes a different kind of viewing to fully appreciate. Almost all old films move at a much slower pace than we're used to. Some of them (this one included) have quick-witted hilarious bits, punctuated by longer sections of calm. To best enjoy a silent movie, make sure everyone is in the right mood and willing to get into the rhythm and pace. Once  you've achieved that state, you may find that you love this film too. But don't be surprised if your kids say its boring.

Iconic shot:

The Immigrant (1917)

Why it's included:
Charlie Chaplin as the little Tramp. Nuff said.

Specs:
25 minutes, black and white, silent. We watched it on Netflix - its part of a Charlie Chaplin short films collection. I notice that it also seems to be available on Youtube.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
6.75

More thoughts about the film and our reaction to it:
Here's a primer, for people who don't do much of it, on how to watch a silent comedy, especially a Charlie Chaplin film: don't get too hung up on the plot. Just open your eyes, sit back, and enjoy whatever it is that is happening. It is primarily a visual experience. For instance, I can't tell you exactly what the card game on the boat was about, but I know that I loved watching Chaplin shuffling. Priceless.

Its hard to say exactly why the guy is so funny. He just is. For my younger child, its all about the big pants. For me, it's something about his silly smile and expressions - there's just an explosion of funniness popping out of him all the time. Its like a force of nature.

Iconic shot:

His New Job (1915)

Why it's here:
When we started our festival, I intended to share with the boys work by all the major comedians and comedy teams I could think of (Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and on and on), but as we talked to other people and researched films to include, new names kept popping up. Ben Turpin was one of those names. We added this film into our festival much later -- after we'd already watched films through the 1940s -- because it would not only provide us with a chance to see Turpin, but almost more importantly, was available on Netflix and starred Charlie Chaplin. When in doubt, make sure Chaplin is present.

Specs:
1/2 hour, black and white, silent. We watched it on Netflix - found within a Chaplin collection.

Our family's average rating:
6.0

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This film is really cool for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it was Charlie Chaplin's first credited screen appearance. He'd been in many films before, but was always part of an ensemble cast and not singled out for screen credit. So there's a first. Another real shocker that I did not notice until reading about the film after our viewing, but this may have been Gloria Swanson's very first on-screen appearance!  You can just make her out in the opening scene as an office worker.

Another great surprise, that ended up being my favorite part of the movie, was a wonderful behind-the-scenes glimpse of early filmmaking. The "New Job" underlying the title, refers to  Chaplin being hired as an extra/carpenter/actor to work on a film production. This is a great chance to see the back stage area, star's dressing room, hand-cranked silent film camera, and many other treats, all circa 1915!

And I suppose I should address the impetus for our film: Ben Turpin. He is very funny and entertaining, but this was not a major film for him. His scenes with Chaplin are wonderful, but he spends so much time on the floor, we didn't get much of a glimpse of his famously crossed eyes. We liked him enough though that we will look for other films by him if they come within our sphere.

Iconic shot:

And here's another pic, so you can see Gloria Swanson before she was "big"

The Masquerader (1914)

Why it's included:
Prior to his becoming an independent filmmaker, Charlie Chaplin appeared in comedy shorts with, among others, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. We wanted to see the two of them together and to see Chaplin before he was performing as the iconic Little Tramp character.

Specs:
16 minutes long, black and white, silent film. Available online. The best copy we were able to find on Youtube was not in great shape - sections of the film are dark and contrast poor. 

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):

6.17

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
We need to get this out of the way right now. You may be someone, like many others, who only knows the name Fatty Arbuckle as synonymous with horrible scandal. Let me spread the word that Fatty was innocent. Here's the story:

On Labor Day weekend in 1921, Fatty threw a big raucous party in San Francisco that went on for days. Many fashionable Hollywood personnel attended, including a young starlet named Virginia Rappe. Details are a bit sketchy, but it seems clear enough that while there, she got very drunk and collapsed. Those at the party, including Fatty, attempted to provide some assistance to her but ultimately she died at the hospital of a ruptured bladder. Not only did Fatty not abuse or murder her, no one did. She was not murdered. Nevertheless, Fatty was tried for the crime and ultimately acquitted, but his career was over due to the continuos skewering he received in the press. The public turned on him and Hollywood banned him. Now, you might still find him liable for having thrown such a party in the first place, or for not rendering enough assistance to Rappe, that's fine. But from where I sit, I see Fatty as the victim of a ruthless brand of journalism that ruined his career and happiness to sell papers. (Buster Keaton later told the story of how William Randolph Hearst admitted he sold more newspapers on the Fatty Arbuckle scandal than he did on the sinking of the Lusitania).

With that out of the way, lets move on to what should be Fatty's real legacy: he was a remarkably prolific comedian and pioneering filmmaker in the early days of cinema. His work helped shape the very roots of comedy. He took under his wing and assisted the careers of both Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton (as well as Bob Hope), and was a silly, sweet-looking, childish man, who looked surprisingly good in drag, was stunningly fleet-footed and athletic for his size, and a clever filmmaker. His style of slapstick is perfect for kids in some ways - very physical and very goofy, he's like a cartoon come to life - but inappropriate in others: Fatty's films tend to be earthy and libidinous, with wives often being treated poorly or escaped from.

So lets get on to "The Masquerader"! This is a funny and fairly watchable film but we don't recommend it highly. The plot is hard to follow and rather nonsensical. And, as I mentioned above, the film quality is poor enough to be distracting. But there are a couple of nice attractions including the scene with the two stars preparing themselves at their dressing table, and a cute scene where Chaplin gets in drag and becomes as a very pretty girl. This film may not be the "best" for either of these stars, but we chose it to experience them together. Its great to see a young Chaplin, sans moustache, looking nothing like we're used to seeing him. 

We will recommend some other Chaplin films that are far more enjoyable than this, and, if you're interested in more Arbuckle, you can't do better than to watch him in any of the short films he made with Buster Keaton between 1917 and 1919.



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