The Pilgrim (1923)

The Pilgrim (1923) - written, directed, and produced by Charlie Chaplin - was Chaplin's last "short" before going into feature length films. In it, Chaplin plays an escaped convict who disguises himself as a minister and is mistaken for the new parson in a small Texas town. He is brought to the church where, in my favorite scene, he acts out the story of David and Goliath. You can watch it below:

 

After that he is brought to the house where he will stay. On his way there he is recognized by his cell mate who follows him and invites himself to tea. While there, the landlady tries to pay her next mortgage bill to the deacon, who refuses to accept the payment on the Sabbath. Chaplin's friend proceeds to steal the money and Chaplin chases after him, recovering the money and returning it to the landlady's pretty daughter. He is then recognized as a convict and arrested. On his way back to jail the sheriff lets Chaplin escape into Mexico, where he has no jurisdiction.

 

 

An interesting note from an article on TCM: "Also notable in the cast is Chaplin's brother Sydney who appears in three roles as the eloping man, the train conductor and the father of the "slapping boy." The "slapping boy" is played by three-and-a-half-year old Dean Reisner and son of The Pilgrim's assistant director Charles Reisner (who also plays the pickpocket). Dean would grow up to become a leading screenwriter in Hollywood, penning the "do you feel lucky, punk" scene for Dirty Harry (1971)."

 

 

This little film was great fun to watch. Being so short it's hard to write about, so I hope this short post will encourage you to watch the film for yourself, which is linked for you below:

 

This post is part of The Charlie Chaplin Blogathon hosted by Little Bits of Classics and Christina Wehner. Be sure to check out all of the other posts!

 

“All images from Chaplin films made from 1918 onwards, Copyright © Roy Export S.A.S. Charles Chaplin and the Little Tramp are trademarks and/or service marks of Bubbles Inc. S.A. and/or Roy Export.”

The Gold Rush (1925)

Genre

Comedy

Director

Charles Chaplin

Country

USA

Cast

Charles Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Malcolm Waite, Henry Bergman

Storyline

A lone prospector (Charlie Chaplin) ventures into Alaska looking for gold and finds it... and more.

Opinion

If anyone doubts that Charlie Chaplin was one of the funniest comedians ever, clearly does not know a thing about comedy. 

Heartbreaking and genuinely hilarious, The Gold Rush is a witty and sentimental milestone in cinema that goes beyond time and culture. 

In this masterpiece, Chaplin mixes the drama and loneliness of the gold rush with brilliant humour that make good for the distressing atmosphere, especially in the first part, and tells the desire to make a fortune - the dream of many at the time, and the dream of many today - beautifully.

Then there is also an ingredient that today is in almost every film, the romance. Unlikely to work, the love story eventually gets the happy ending everyone's wishing for, but not before a ton of tragicomic adventures.

Nobody else other than Chaplin himself would have been able to mix such a social commentary with slapstick and sentimentality, and in such a good way.

Some of the scenes are hilarious -- Eating the shoe, the Roll Dance, the finale with cabin out on the edge of a cliff -- and some really touches your heart. 

Brought to the screen in 1925, the film was then re-released in 1942, made a little shorter and faster, and also music and spoken narration written and performed by Chaplin himself have been included. I have seen both versions, and if you want to understand the pure intention of the film, you better go for the silent version, also because the narration sometimes interferes. The new version is easier and more suitable for modern audiences, but you should give the original a try.