Customer Reviews

Chaplin, Vol. 7-8 [VHS]

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

A First National Collection is a wonderful DVD. It includes six films made between 1918 and 1923 all of which are very funny indeed. These films show Chaplin's development towards the longer format of feature films and thus form a transitional period in his career. He would go on to make some great features, including City Lights, Modern Times and The Gold Rush, but the films he made at First National are the peak of his output of shorter films.

The films included in this collection are brilliantly clear. The restoration work cannot be praised highly enough. Of the six only The Pilgrim shows some slight damage and this damage is so minimal that it is not at all distracting. This DVD is really great value for the films themselves run 198 minutes and in addition there is over twenty minutes of bonus material. This extra material includes a very sophisticated `home movie' called Nice and Friendly which is of interest primarily because it stars a twenty-year-old Louis Mountbatten, who was Queen Victoria's great-grandson, and an important figure in the British royal family. There is also a short film of a tour by a General Leonard Wood on the set of Sunnyside. The General looks rather embarrassed. Finally, and best of all, there is some unused footage from Shoulder Arms showing Chaplin prior to joining the army and explaining why he does so to avoid his nagging wife.

Fans of Chaplin will not be disappointed by this Image DVD and for those who are looking to discover more about the little tramp and why he was so popular this is a good starting point.

With the exception of "A Dog's Life" (1918) and "The Kid" (1921), this DVD includes all of Charlie Chaplin's work for First National during 1918-23. Since the prints are from Chaplin's archives, the quality is excellent, with all films projected at the proper speed. Though "Sunnyside" (1919) and "A Day's Pleasure" (1919) are among the comedian's weaker efforts, the First National DVD contains much of Chaplin at his best. "Shoulder Arms" (1918) and "The Pilgrim" (1923) represent the high-water mark of this collection - both featurettes comparing favorably to Chaplin's groundbreaking work for Mutual. The Little Tramp's final shorts, "The Idle Class" (1921) and "Pay Day" (1922), are well worth having and display a stylish advance in cinematic technique. Admittedly, the Chaplin First Nationals do not equal the sustained brilliance of the Mutual period, but they remain a fascinating chronicle of his transition from shorts to features.

If you are a fan of Chaplin, chances are you will like this DVD. If you aren't familiar with Chaplin, this is a great collection to get started with.

This DVD collects Shoulder Arms, Sunnyside, A Day's Pleasure, The Idle Class, Pay Day, and The Pilgrim; all of which are excellent short films. The first four films feature The Little Tramp, Chaplin's best known character. Pay Day and The Pilgrim feature Chaplin as a humble working man and an escaped convict, respectively.

Special features on the DVD include a short "home movie" entitled Nice and Friendly, some unused footage from Shoulder Arms, music credits, and some footage of General Leonard Wood on the set of Sunnyside. The footage of General Leonard Wood is probably my favorite part of the DVD, simply because it shows Chaplin, out of character, giving the general a tour. I sometimes forget that Chaplin was an actor and not really The Little Tramp and it is amazing to see how easily he could slip into character.

I'm not a real videophile, so I'm not all that picky about video quality (if I can see it I'm happy), but I can say that all of the shorts on this DVD are very clear. The sound is good too (not that it really matters since these are silent films, though the music does create atmosphere). The only thing that annoys me about this DVD is the simple navigation system; it doesn't have the nice kind of menus I am used to with most DVDs. However, the content of the DVD is good enough that I can overlook the clunky navigation.

The bottom line: A great collection!

The soundtracks to these films are NOT IN SYNCHRONIZATION TO THE PICTURE. Even though the image itself is a vast improvement over the MK2/Warner version (which is hideously contrasty, has some odd exposure-blemishes, and is sometimes ruined by being played too fast even though it is "stretch-printed"--a process which itself gives some films a jerky look), the problem with the sound is so great that it just knocks this version out of the running. I am amazed and even shocked that David Shepard could be so insensitive that he cannot even notice when, in his finished product of the movie "A Day's Pleasure", the band on the boat does not begin to play until practically 2 whole seconds after you HEAR the music start! All Shepard had to do was wait 2 seconds before starting up the band music, but... no.

Shepard does match certain noises to the action in these films, but he seems to have no feeling whatever for the way the MUSIC emphasizes some of the specific actions. He makes a fair attempt to play the music at approximately the lengths of time for which Chaplin composed to a given section of film, but he completely misses the little musical-picture nuances that occur within each section. A specific example is in "The Pilgrim", where Chaplin discovers he is carving a hat instead of a pudding. Compare the Image/Shepard version with the MK2 version, and you can see that in MK2, Chaplin's music really brings this section to life, even giving the scene a final exclamation; Shepard's version is a second or two out of sync throughout this whole section, and the exclamation does not match the picture (of Syd Chaplin flicking the frosting off his hat).

So, save your money and let's wait to see if the Chaplin family puts out a better set of Chaplin's films, now that their contract with MK2 is set to expire in another year. Otherwise, buy the now-out-of-print copies of the MK2 versions as a stopgap until the next Chaplin dispensation comes along.

Chaplin entertained us when we were kids and he continues to do the same in our adulthood. Excellent series of classic comic short movies. Kids love it so do we.