Post by StevePulaski on Jul 20, 2014 22:32:59 GMT -5
The Immigrant (1917)
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin and Edward Brewer
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin and Edward Brewer
Charlie Chaplin in The Immigrant.
Rating: ★★★
It really is no surprise to recognize that Charlie Chaplin's short The Immigrant deeply resonated with the, at that time, present day immigrants who came to America with the mindset to make something of themselves in "the land of opportunities," but had to settle for laborious blue collar work before they could even hope to become moderately successful. That kind of drudgery takes a toll on people, and Chaplin's early, 1917 short shows the real struggle as the lovable Tramp finds himself aboard a steamer in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. An immigrant of little skill, he spends his days on the ship playing cards, eating in an unstable cafeteria, and trying to avoid cramped, tired, and seasick passengers while keeping in mind the opportunities he will likely be granted with in America.
The Tramp winds up befriending an unidentified immigrant (Edna Purviance) along the way, who is traveling to America with her sick mother, both of whom were victim to a pickpocket, who is losing in a high-stakes game of gambling aboard the ship. The Tramp winds up trying to restore the wealth of the two women, but gets mistaken for being a pickpocket, and is only set free thanks to the good word put in by the immigrant woman. The two part ways once the ship docks, but are unaware that this is only the beginning of their encounter.
While The Immigrant definitely infuses comedy into its premise, it simply can't wholly disguise what a sad and often heartbreaking tale this short actually depicts. As it plays out, it becomes a tad more heartbreaking but also a great deal more beautiful, as we see a nice relationship develop between the two characters who effectively carry out strong emotions for each other. Chaplin is unsurprisingly quick-witted with his comedy and strong in the more dramatic instances in the film, while Purviance plays her character to the degree of achieving a certain sympathy but not giving us a character we're supposed to pity for a long period of time. The Immigrant effectively demonstrates an early blend of comedy and tragedy to the degree that Shakespeare may have found quite effective and relatable.
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, and Eric Campbell. Directed by: Charlie Chaplin.