As the movies moved past their pioneering stage and into the 1910s, the quality in the movies began to rise. The pioneers were learning their craft and getting even better at it. The now, red, hot, silent era was coming into its own. By 1915, the movie business was in it's early 20s and all genres were doing well. That also applied to the comedy genre.
Mack Sennett was the reigning king of the comedy films, but a new guy, who Sennett helped debut, was in his sophomore year in motion pictures and well on his way to legendary status, when he directed a film called The Tramp (1915). In just a couple of years, Charlie Chaplin was pretty much a seasoned veteran in the business, directing, writing and acting in his films. He had put together an impressive resume in just two years. His iconic tramp character was still being worked on and when the time came he gave the Tramp his own title.
The Tramp comes waltzing into town and after a harrowing incident on the road, he sits down to eat, but is interrupted when a young farmer's daughter needs rescuing from a scoundrel of a hobo. She befriends him and between her and her father, they take Charlie in to help around the house and live there. From there, he gets acquainted with his chores and the other farm hands, until he stumbles across a plot by other hobos to rob the farm. The comedy ensues.
Charlie and some of the other characters kept breaking the fourth wall, as a way to help jokes better, by looking at the camera/at the audience to help certain gags. Oliver Hardy did that a lot with Stan Laurel and I remember Alan Hale doing it with Bob Denver on Gilligan's Island (1966-1968), in the 60s. It worked though.
It's a text book silent movie. What makes it special is it seems polished, as polished goes for a silent film. You can see that the art of film-making has been growing for 20 years. It has all the elements found in a silent comedy. The hero. The girl. The bad guys. It includes elements found in Chaplin's legacy, such as depicting destitute people needing food or work, which always helped explain the hobo/tramp plot lines in his stories. It provides laughs, tears and excitement. A basic plot, but something that has a good pace throughout. Not boring, nor is it over-the-top exciting. It's just right.
7.9 (B- MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.
Mack Sennett was the reigning king of the comedy films, but a new guy, who Sennett helped debut, was in his sophomore year in motion pictures and well on his way to legendary status, when he directed a film called The Tramp (1915). In just a couple of years, Charlie Chaplin was pretty much a seasoned veteran in the business, directing, writing and acting in his films. He had put together an impressive resume in just two years. His iconic tramp character was still being worked on and when the time came he gave the Tramp his own title.
The Tramp comes waltzing into town and after a harrowing incident on the road, he sits down to eat, but is interrupted when a young farmer's daughter needs rescuing from a scoundrel of a hobo. She befriends him and between her and her father, they take Charlie in to help around the house and live there. From there, he gets acquainted with his chores and the other farm hands, until he stumbles across a plot by other hobos to rob the farm. The comedy ensues.
Charlie and some of the other characters kept breaking the fourth wall, as a way to help jokes better, by looking at the camera/at the audience to help certain gags. Oliver Hardy did that a lot with Stan Laurel and I remember Alan Hale doing it with Bob Denver on Gilligan's Island (1966-1968), in the 60s. It worked though.
It's a text book silent movie. What makes it special is it seems polished, as polished goes for a silent film. You can see that the art of film-making has been growing for 20 years. It has all the elements found in a silent comedy. The hero. The girl. The bad guys. It includes elements found in Chaplin's legacy, such as depicting destitute people needing food or work, which always helped explain the hobo/tramp plot lines in his stories. It provides laughs, tears and excitement. A basic plot, but something that has a good pace throughout. Not boring, nor is it over-the-top exciting. It's just right.
7.9 (B- MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.