Customer Reviews

The Chaplin Revue (2 Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Compiled, scored and narrated by Charlie Chaplin in 1958, "The Chaplin Revue" was a terrific idea to showcase three of the comedian's best films for First National: "A Dog's Life" (1918), "Shoulder Arms" (1918) and "The Pilgrim" (1923). Unfortunately, Chaplin tampered with these particular films by presenting them at a slower projection speed, which ruins the original comic timing and pacing. As a public service, avoid "The Chaplin Revue" and locate the out-of-print "First National Collection" on DVD. This excellent disc includes most of Chaplin's 1918-23 work at the proper projection speed. The difference is amazing.

All the reviews posted on this dvd are for the vhs!! It's so annoying that no one seems to realize that there are not three, but SEVEN early chaplin shorts presented on the dvd (the extras have even more shorts)!! Also, the three from the 1958 re-edit entitled the 'chaplin revue' are available on the dvd in their ORIGINAL VERSIONS as well as the recut!! So will people stop complaining and give these shorts the attention and respect they deserve!! Also, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend to get the box set for the chaplin collection vol. 2, which includes this, because to get the 7 movies separatly would be $175 retail and the box set includes a special documentary on chaplin NOT AVAILABLE SEPARATLY as well as the seven films for a retail of only $100!!

There was no single correct projection speed for motion pictures until standardization in 1927, when 24 FPS was necessarily decided upon as a prelude to the coming of talkies. Most prior photoplays were shot at varying speeds. In his earliest films, D.W. Griffith favored 12 FPS. This means, at playback on a motorized projector set at the standard 24 FPS, BIRTH OF A NATION and other movies seem bizarrely fast!

Comedies were often filmed at 16 FPS and undercranked for action scenes. All these movies were designed to be shown on a hand-cranked projector. Thus, when 24 FPS came in, the natural look of earlier silent films DISAPPEARED. With the passage of decades, viewers have come to accept these ridiculously quick-moving images as "normal" because they have no point of previous reference.

When Sir Charles selected in 1959 the three shorts that comprise THE CHAPLIN REVUE and added his own musical compositions, he made certain that these movies would run at their ORIGINAL projection speeds. So we are able to see here how silent movies actually appeared to cinemagoers in 1918 and 1923. The naturalness of unbusy passages is delightful and certainly NOT a distraction. For the first time, modern audiences can appreciate the subtleties of Chaplin's facial expressions and movements. This is a wonderful compilation!


"The Chaplin Revue" is available on DVD.

Also recommended:
Sir Charles often cited THE GOLD RUSH (1925) as his favorite picture. (VHS edition) (DVD edition)


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(7.7) A Dog's Life (1918) - Charlie Chaplin/Edna Purviance/Syd Chaplin/Harry Bergman/Minnie Chaplin

(6.8) Shoulder Arms (1918) - Charlie Chaplin/Edna Purviance/Syd Chaplin/Jack Wilson/Harry Bergman

(7.4) The Pilgrim (1923) - Charlie Chaplin/Edna Purviance/Syd Chaplin/Mack Swain/Harry Bergman (uncredited: Mickey Daniels/Marion Davies)

Three classics from the screen's first and finest comedian; wonderful entertainment for aficionados. Bonus: new music score and behind-the-scenes footage with Chaplin narrating.

Chaplin's 'Review' consists of three hilarious films straight from the genius himself. The first is 'A Dog's Life' in which the Tramp acquires a canine companion; the second is 'The Immigrant,' where Chaplin comes to America; and the third is 'The Pilgrim' in which he is an escaped con hiding out in a small town as a preacher. Chaplin as always puts everything into these and produces three hilarious winners. Great to see when you need a good laugh--Chaplin supplies that. Would you expect anything else from the King of the Cinema?

In reaction to the dullness of the films of actual combat in that time, the wartime public increasingly turned to humor as escape from monotony and anxiety...

Charlie Chaplin feared that his great "Shoulder Arms" would offend people, but it became his greatest hit... In it, Charlie, by luck, courage, and devilish ingenuity wins the war singlehanded and brings a captive Kaiser in triumph to London...

The chief difference between this hilarious burlesque and some of the serious war dramas was that in Charlie's case it all turned out to be a dream...

This two-disc collection showcases Chaplin's final 7 short subjects, made at First National Studios and spanning the years 1918 to 1923. While he began showing signs of greatness as early as 1915, most of his short subjects are kind of uneven, even though he got better year by year, refining his craft more and more. By about 1918, he had really hit his stride, although generally speaking I prefer his features to his shorts.

The shorts themselves are somewhat of a mixed bag, though none of them would I consider at the same level as his earliest shorts from 1914 and 1915. 'A Dog's Life' (1918), which kicks off the first disc, is one of the best on here. Everything is so flawless and perfect, by far one of Chaplin's best short subjects. Even the dog, Scraps (named Mutt in real life), is wonderful in his role. (It's kind of sad to watch it, though, knowing that not too long after it was released, Mutt died of a broken heart when his master went on away a Liberty Bonds drive.) Next up is 'Shoulder Arms' (1918), also a very strong comedy. Although this is a WWI-themed film and therefore demonstrates some of the usual anti-Hun propaganda of the times, it doesn't feel badly dated at all on account of that. The main focus of the short is on Charlie's adventures as a soldier, not a bunch of one-dimensionally evil rampaging Huns. The final short on disc one is 'The Pilgrim' (1923), his final short, and also one of his best. This one features the theme of mistaken identity, something Chaplin used a number of times in his work.

While the shorts on the first disc are all excellent and flawless, the ones on the second disc are more uneven. I personally consider the best to be 'The Idle Class' (1921), which also features the theme of mistaken identity, and 'Pay Day' (1922), featuring Charlie as a jovial bricklayer who is mercilessly henpecked by his domineering wife. The other two are 'A Day's Pleasure' (1919), built around the simple theme of Charlie trying to take his family out for a nice afternoon on the water but meeting obstacles at every turn, and 'Sunnyside' (1919), where Charlie works as a farmhand and in a general store. I'd say 'Sunnyside' is the weakest short on here; the story isn't that developed or engaging, and neither are the characters, which is somewhat suprising for a film done by this point in his career. It almost feels like one of his hit-and-miss shorts from his days at Keystone or Essanay. 'A Day's Pleasure' has a similar uneven feel, but at least it's somewhat more engaging. Probably one could attribute these two shorts' uninspired lacklustre feel to the fact that there were a lot of serious problems in Chaplin's personal life in 1919, such as his floundering first marriage and the death of his firstborn child just three days after his birth.

Extras are picture and poster galleries, a brief introduction by David Robinson (who does the introductions on all of the Chaplin DVDs), the trailer for all of the films in the two Chaplin boxed sets, the trailer for 'The Chaplin Revue' (a 1959 reissue Chaplin made of the three films on disc one, with his narration at the beginning of each segment), deleted scenes from 'Shoulder Arms,' a deleted scene from 'Sunnyside,' the propagandistic one-reeler 'The Bond' (1918), a two-reeler Chaplin made in 1918, 'How to Make Movies,' showing the viewer his new studio and how his films are made there, a short home movie from 1918 showing him with his friend Harry Lauder, and another home movie (I'd say from about 1919, judging by the presence of the set from 'Sunnyside') showing various celebrities hanging out at Charlie's house. Unfortunately, none of the bonus short films or deleted scenes have any accompanying music. I know that such short films don't justify doing a whole special score, but at least they could have put a generic piano or organ soundtrack on them to make them seem more alive.

While Chaplin's later short subjects are among his finest shorts, showing that he got better and better as he progressed, not all of them are up to the same top-notch level. While some of them would be very good for a first Chaplin film, overall it's not something I'd recommend to a brand-new fan. Most of the bonus films also aren't anything I'd want to watch over and over again, particularly because of their lack of a soundtrack.

Since Chaplin was making dozens of shorts a year, it's easy to guess that not all of them are of the same quality. So it is with this collection. There are several must-owns on here, however, and they have been mastered well onto DVD with loads of extra materials, so this release remains essential in a Chaplin collection.

The two flagships for me are "Shoulder Arms" and "A Dog's Life". "A Dog's Life" was the first complete Chaplin film I saw, and it continues to delight me with its lightning pacing, masterful gags, and fascinating use of music -- the high-comedy bits still feature the merry scores of usual Chaplin films, but the main theme is a weepy, dramatic orchestral piece which, when juxtaposed against the famous Chaplin sight gags, are remarkably funny, almost perverse. Chaplin's physical skills are unparalleled in this film, with the "human puppet" sequence, the employment centre, the fight with the wild dogs, and the opening "roll with the cops" sequence being the highlights. "Shoulder Arms" was a brave stab at making the First World War funny and Chaplin succeeded grandly. Luckily, he also had the good sense to cut out an entire first act, seen here on the DVD bonus materials, which had little to no bearing on the story and isn't all that funny anyway. The trench gags in this film are fast and hilarious; though the "enemy territory" section drags a little, the film remains great.

The remaining films range from hilarious to just okay: I like "Sunnyside", which takes the Tramp's frequent dashes of unrequited love to a new level; but "The Pilgrim" wears out its central gag long before it's over, and "The Idle Class" and "A Day's Pleasure" are excruciatingly slow.

There are more films on these two discs than on the other Chaplin DVDs in this series, so there is slightly less bonus material to peruse. But there's still quite a bit, such as a propaganda film with Chaplin and Edna Purviance, and deleted scenes from "Shoulder Arms". It's always great to actually see deleted scenes from such old films. This DVD set is still a worthy addition to this impressive series of Chaplin reissues.

The new Chaplin Revue is the best. Especially for a sixteen year old like myself from Australia and I love all the Chaplin features and early shorts but I never got accustomed with his films for First National till now since before this they were never widely available.

The first film in this extraordinary collection is:
A DOG'S LIFE (1918). This is a beautiful film made in the same style as Chaplin's earlier masterpiece EASY STREET (1917). Chaplin, Edna Purviance and Syd Chaplin are just marvelous in this wonderful yet very emotional comedy.

SHOULDER ARMS (1918) is definitely one of my favourite movies of all time. It's funny and witty and just plain out superb and it has all my favourite Chaplin stock company players-Syd Chaplin, Edna Purviance, ALbert Austin, Henry Bergman, Loyal Underwood, Park Jones, interestingly Chaplin's cameraman Jack Wilson playing the German Crown Prince and Tom Wilson. A Marvelous film though I loved the original version better with all the emotional scenes with the 'Poor France' segment and other wonderful scenes of sentiment, however, for the 1959 reissue, Chaplin discarded it all so I reccomend the uncut version but this version is still very good.

Next we have:

SUNNYSIDE (1919)
A very funny comedy with a lot of nice Chaplinesque sequences but as a whole the film is not at all one of Chaplin's best.

A DAY'S PLEASURE (1919)
Can be funny at times but this movie is pretty crappy because it was just an excuse for Chaplin to give his distributor a new product whilst planning his masterpiece THE KID (1921).

THE IDLE CLASS (1921)
A brilliant and terrific short comedy and definitely one of CHaplin's finest shorts.

PAY DAY (1922)
This was one of Chaplin's favourites of his shorts and it's very clear why. This is an excellent short film and features better lighting and direction than in any other Chaplin shot, perhaps because it was his last of this sort. ALso features a wonderful score by Chaplin composed in 1972!

And last but not least we have THE PILGRIM from 1922 and released in 1923. This is one of Chaplin's forgotten masterworks but it is one of his finest comedies. The ending in particular is beautiful for its construction of camera shot and jokes.

Plus there are two bonus films on the DVD: THE BOND a WW1 Propaganda film Chaplin made to help the war effort by selling bonds and his unreleased project HOW MOVING PICTURES ARE MADE which he planned to release but his distributor did not allow plus other reasons. However it was reedited and retitled in the 1980s and restored by David Gill and KEvin Brownlow and it's a insightful look at the Chaplin Studios and some of the footage is shown in THe Chaplin Revue feature.

All in all, an excellent DVD and all films have been digitally remastered and they look like they were filmed today!
You'll love it all!

Shoulder Arms:
The trenches of WWI through the imagination of an Army recruit - and with an anti-war message at the end. A good but not great Chaplin short.

The Idle Class:
Lots of great bits, of course, and a decent mistaken identity story. Not tightly structured as Chaplin's better work though.

A Dog's Life:
A routine Chaplin short - which makes it better than most other silent shorts.

A Day's Pleasure:
Although Chaplin hadn't yet perfected his cinematic timing and pacing, that doesn't detract much from the joys of this Chaplin short. A few sequences go on a bit long but the opening sequence in particular is a gem.

The Pilgrim:
An escaped convict is mistaken for the new pastor of a Western town. As with most Chaplin shorts it's basically a series of gags strung together - but built around a slightly stronger than usual plot.

have not yet seen the rest of this collection.