Customer Reviews

The Charlie Chaplin Collection

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

 

 

Not another cheapo crummy box set! No No No!!

Okay, so here's what we have -

The Keystone films - Once again, the SAME crummy prints that are used every time. Sadly, only a couple of these are available in any good condition. They are -

TIllie's Punctured Romance and Mabel's Married Life, available on Image's "Tillie's Puctured Romance" dvd. let me put it this way - Tillie on the present set is a 50 minute pile of poorly narrated and terrible condition garbage that is missing a lot of essential scenes. The Image disc has a mostly complete print that is actually quite watchable and - wait for it - actually makes sense! Amazing!

The Knockout and The Rounders - available in the "Forgotten Films of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle" set. These look quite nice here. The Rounders is also available in the Slapstick Encyclopedia set, along with a Chaplin fragment unavailable anywhere else.

Okay, that takes care of the films filmed at Keystone. The fact is, if you want to see most of the Keystone films, you might as well get this set or one even cheaper if possible. But there are MUCH better copies of ALL of these films out there, waiting to be released.

AS far as the rest of the material from the Essanay, Mutual, and First National years, this set is nowhere near as good the the Image and M2K releases, and shouldn't even be considered in those cases. In fact, it still remains to be determined if the use of some of these prints is even legal, since they were clearly duplicated from official releases.

There is also a documentary included. Sadly, it's not really about Chaplin, but is a fascinating documentary about how badly somebody can screw up a life story. The information is often false, misleading, or simply a big fat pack of lies. And it's boring. And poorly made. I'm sure talking this one up, aren't I?

If you want a GREAT documentary, try Unknown Chaplin, which is still a knockout 20-odd years later.

Avoid this title, buy all the Image and M2K releases, and then come back to this only when you really MUST see crummy versions of the Keystones. Hopefully soon, we'll have comething better.

I claim no more knowledge of Chaplin movies than the average fan. I gave this collection four stars, and I'll give 4 reasons why.
1. i don't think that, considering the fact many of the shorts are roughly between 80-90 years old, it is too much of a stretch to imagine that the image quality is less than stellar. we in the digital age are lucky to have them at all, given the fact that many early movie pioneers (m.sennett included)considered their finished products disposable, to be used until they couldn't be thread into the projector anymore.

2. it's been said that CC's Keystones are only fit for antiquarians and sentimentalists. i disagree. it's in his keystones, that we can see the stirrings of CC's genius. his lack of over acting (excessive mugging/gestures) immediately sets him apart from his contemporaries. chaplin's economy of movement, his deft manipulation of props, and his ability to convey his attitude to the audience with only quick facial expressions,all begin here in his keystone efforts.

3. not only do we get chaplin in this collection, but we also see other great stars of the silent era. mable normand, chester conklin, ben turpin, mack swain, and of course the incomporable edna purviance are just a few of the luminaries contained in these discs. i think you'd be hard pressed to find this much talent in one set.

4. lastly, i don't think i'm alone when i say that to a great degree i find silent movies in general a refreshing alternative to some of today's movie offerings. i'm constantly amazed at how much silents give to their audience, when you consider how little they had to work with, compared to today. and no one was more of a master of that than Charlie Chaplin - don't pass this opportunity up to get so much, for so small a price !

I received this collection (the "Essential Charlie Chaplin Collection" box set from Delta Entertainment) as a gift, watched about five minutes, and returned it right away. It is a cheap public domain set to which no apparent thought or care has been given.

An example: In the middle of "Easy Street," you suddenly hear a break in the music and people talking. Why? Because the producers of this collection just threw any old public domain music onto the soundtrack, in this case an old blues song in which the musicians begin talking and laughing. It's a great song, to be sure, but totally inappropriate and distracting, having nothing to do with the action on-screen and really ruining the experience.

I should add that the prints look terrible.

Save your money.

By this point it ought to be blatantly obvious that the recent reviews are for the 8 disc Sams Club edition for under $20. But, just for the record, that's the copy that I'm reviewing as well.

I can understand the reviewers who give this set praises for being the only available DVD releases of the old Keystone shorts. On certain levels it's comforting to know that some of film history's most important shorts can never truly die, thanks to DVD preservation. However, when the quality is this bad, my opinion is that it's not really worth releasing at any price. If the originals have deteriorated to the point where they are this poor in quality, they simply shouldn't be seen by the average viewer. They certainly shouldn't be sold at a grab bag price to try to rope in as many sales as possible. The lower the price, the more newcomers will see Chaplin (or silent short comedy in general) for the first time in a set like this, and I believe that that does a great disservice to the silent film era. I can't help but feel that most people who buy this set are going to come away from it with a serious loathing of silent film short comedy. The quality destroys any enjoyment that undoubtedly at one time would have been had.

For example, on the first disc, which is obviously the one that most people will watch first, only "Kid Auto Races at Venice" is even remotely close to entertaining. It's quality is high enough that it is still relatively pleasant to watch. The other six shorts on the disc are an absolute disaster... Two of which spend a considerable amount of time with the heads cut off of all the actors due to cropping issues.

The prints are bad. Rarity, for me, is not the issue. These prints are beyond watchable quality even if they are the only ones left. This level of deterioration can only be tolerated by the most ardent fan. And I don't say that lightly. I am a film student who has seen more than his fair share of poor quality prints... These, by and large, have been scraped out of the gutter.

In short, if you absolutely must have the Keystone shorts, feel free to buy this set. But do yourself a favor and watch it with very low expectations. It won't live up to much else...

If, on the other hand, you simply want to see some Chaplin, pick up the Chaplin Collection 2-Disc releases or the Restored Mutual and Essanay shorts from Image.

Respect for the classics is as important as preservation. Cheap releases of shoddy prints does little to please anyone...

This review is for the "Essential Charlie Chaplin Collection" box set from Delta Entertainment. Oh what this set could have been... The films contained in this collection are almost a complete selection of Chaplin's early work - from his first Keystone through the masterful Mutual series. Unfortunately, the prints of the films in the compilation are nothing less than terrible. Added to the misery of this collection is a terrible soundtrack and incorrect projection speeds. If you're looking for a great intro to Chaplin, choose DVDs from a producer that cares about the quality of their product.

this is the best chaplin ever. Pay no attention to the people that gave bad reviews on this item.Its not bad quality at all,allthoughits very hard to get chaplins keystones in good shape because there so old. the rest is fine.This massive 12 disc box set has over 18 hours of nothing but legend Charlie Chaplin. Its worth the money.

Yes, it's too bad: this should have been a fantastic set.
Never having seen Chaplin's earliest works, being a fan since
my pre-teens, I was excited by the potential of these DVD's.
Now, I'm no film historian or expert, but... I was immediately
struck by the poor quality of the images, the fact that actors'
heads were chopped off, the framing obviously out of whack,
and what's with the godawful music? I like to think that anyone
capable of putting together such an ambitious project would want to take the care to do it justice. Alas... This seems to have
thrown together for capital gain, lacking much sense of artistic
integrity. Ick.
(Note: I've only seen the first two DVD's so far... I hear things get better later on.)

Of course, any collection of Chaplin comedies is worth 5 stars. And the overall wealth of material here is amazing. You get most of the Keystone and Essanay films, all of the Mutuals, and half of the First Nationals. The problem is the print quality. The early films, especially, are not the best looking. Some of the Keystones are so many generations removed from a good print that Chaplin appears blurry and scratched. Things start to get a little better for the Essanay and Mutual films and are fine by the time you get to "The Kid." As another reviewer points out, the music is just tacked on--as if they just took any music from the early 20th century; some have spoken dialogue which detracts from the film a little. I tend to watch with the volume pretty low so I don't get distracted by the music.

Two other notes: I was thrilled to see my eight-year-old son laugh out loud at some of Charlie's antics. Hopefully another generation of Chaplin lovers is forming!

Also, the film listed (and described) as being "In the Park" (Essanay, 1915) is actually Chaplin's directorial debut, "Caught in the Rain" (Keystone, 1914). Don't blame Delta for this error (though they could have double-checked); Keystone renamed that one and rereleased it as "In the Park" over 80 years ago to compete with Chaplin's Essanay film.

I understand how people can see this box set and not up to par, but these films have been cut or editied because of damage or wear and tear, that the manufactures could fix therefore some scenes are damaged. But the music quailty had been there in these films for a very long time. I have a nother collection of charlie chaplins films and they have the same music. I loved this dvd set, best money i could ever spend!!

This is a review for the 12 DVD box set entitled "The Essential Charlie Chaplin."
The Essential Charlie Chaplin was compiled and released by Delta Entertainment Corporation
in 2002.

Most of these DVDs were made from one & two reeler films but as time went on Chaplin and the various companys he worked for kept expanding the time frames of these movies and by the time THE KID was released in 1921, everything with Chaplin in it was a full length minimum hour long film.

The picture quality of these films is mixed, the earlier titles are usually poor to fair but as time goes on the picture quality improves until by the later DVDs the video seems almost "normal."
Most of the sources seem to be from 16 mm prints issued by various manufacturers including
a French company as well as well-known American names such as Blackhawk Films and Official Films.

So far as I could tell, this chronological release of early Chaplin film work is as complete as you are going to find. All 56 films are on single sided discs with a musical background added. Often the music is appropriate to the on-screen action but it is repetitious. On most of these DVDs the music used is (uncredited) five or six Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Pepper sides from the mid to late twenties. Delta does include a sound option, however. If you like you can watch these films with just the sound of an old fashioned projector runnning along with the silent film. Or, of course, you can shut down the sound entirely.

Keep in mind, no matter what Delta is charging for this enormous set, everything included is Public Domain properties and as I have said before, the quality is somewhat catch as catch can. But the packaging is deluxe all the way, each disc has no more than two hours on each, and most closer to one hour. The DVD cases and the accurate inserts are very high quality.

Many of Chaplin's co-stars were or became big names in the movie business, people such as Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle and many others but none became as big as the world famous comedy immortal, Charlie Chaplin.

The following is the list of the 56 film titles included in this 12 disc box set, "The
Essential Charlie Chaplin:


1) Making a Living.
2) The Kid Auto Races at Venice
3) Mabel's Strange Predicament
4) Between Showers
5) Film Johnny
6) Charlie's Recreation aka Tango Tangles
7) His Favorite Pastime
8) Cruel Cruel Love
9) The Landlady's Pet aka The Star boarder
10) Twenty Minutes of Love
11) Caught in a Cabaret
12) A Busy Day
13) The Fatal Mallet
14) The Knockout
15) Mabel's Married Life
16) Laffing Gas
17) Face On the Barroom Floor
18) Recreation
19) The Masquerader
20) The Good-For-Nothing aka His New Profession
21) The Rounders
22) The New Janitor
23) The Rival Mashers aka Those Love Pangs
24) Musical Tramp aka His Musical Career
25) A Fair Exchange aka Getting Acquainted
-------------------------------------------------(1915)------------------------------------
26) His New Job
27) A Night Out
28) The Champion
29) Dough And Dynamite
30) In The Park
31) The Tramp
32) By The Sea
33) Work
34) A Woman
35) The Bank
36) Shanghaied
37) A Night In The Show
38) A Burlesque On Carmen
39) Police
----------------------------------------------(1916)-----------------------------------------
40) The Floorwalker
41( The Fireman
42) The Vagabond
43) One A.M.
44) The count
44) The Pawnshop
45) Behind The Screen
46) The Rink
47) Easy Street
---------------------------------------------(1917)---------------------------------------------
48) The Cure
49) The Immigrant
50) The Adventurerer
---------------------------------------------1918)-------------------------------------------
51) Triple Trouble
52) The Bond
53) Shoulder Arms
--------------------------------------------(1919)-------------------------------------------
54) Sunnyside
55) A Day's Pleasure
--------------------------------------------(1921)-------------------------------------------
56) The Kid
--------------------------------------------(1980s)------------------------------------------
57) Chaplin BBC documentary.

Here's a few highlights:

The second film, KID AUTO RACES A VENICE has CC's first appearance in his now familiar tramp costume and as he appears at the kid auto races in Venice, he's mostly treated like a pest, not a comedian.
Interesting to see the soon to be world famous comedian treated like someone everyone wishes would go away.

In MABEL'S STRANGE PREDICAMENT Charlie shares screen time with Mabel Normand, a big comedy star at the time.

IN CHARLIE'S RECREATION Charlie "Tango Tangles" with Fatty Arbuckle in a ballrom battle over the affection of Fatty's girl, although she just wants to dance with Charlie.

TWENTY MINUTES OF LOVE is only ten minutes in length but Charlie once again gets involved with a girl in the park.

THE KNOCKOUT is really a Fatty Arbuckle boxing comedy but Charlie stands out as a troublemaking referee.

THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING Charlie is hired to wheel an invalid around the park but soon decides he should be better paid. That's when the wheelchair bound man starts wearing a beggar's sign.

THE ROUNDERS Charlie and Fatty are out painting the town but upon thier return home their respective wives don't find drunken hubbys so much fun. So Charlie and Fatty decide to give the town a second coat of paint. I believe that the amazing Arbuckle matches Chaplin's acrobatics in this film.

A NIGHT OUT Charlie and Ben Turpin are out on the town but find it difficult to back into thier hotel.

In DOUGH AND DYNAMITE Charlie and Chester Conklin try to help a bakery with striking workers survive, with explosive results. thirty minutes long.

In THE TRAMP Charlie battles hoboes and and aids Edna Purveyance while battling his employer.

WORK has Charlie asisting a painter/paper hanger with predictable results.

THE FLOORWALKER features Charlie giving the employees of a department store a hard time just as the store manager and the real floorwalker are robbing the store's safe.

IN THE PAWNSHOP Charlie works in a pawnshop and after afight with a fellow employee gets fired. Charlie gets rehired and eventualy tangles with a holdup man.

THE RINK has Charlie as a clumsy, absent minded waiter but on his own time, a graceful skater.

THE IMMIGRANT shows Charlie as a immigrant on a ship to America helping out a girl who lost her money by giving her all of his. After landing, Charlie and the girl eat at the same restaurant where their meal is paid for by a tip left by another customer.

SHOULDER ARMS is an almost feature length comedy with Charlie as a recruit in the army training to fight in the Great War.

In A DAY'S PLEASURE, what must've been Charlie's last short finds Charlie and family out
for a daylong excursion away from home and into nothing but trouble.

THE KID is the last Chaplin film in this package, a feature length, somewhat autobiographical
comic masterpiece featuring the amazing antics of not only Charlie Chaplin, but Jackie Coogan as well. A wonderful experience, the kind only Chaplin seemed to be able to provide.

This Delta box set is still probably the highest quality offering of the early films of Chaplin's that you will find and if you are a big fan, this might just be what you're looking for. I rate this set an even four stars only because of the lower picture quality of the first films, which are still watchable quality.

In closing I would like to thank ace reviewer Annie Van Auken for her wise advice, which I sometimes took, and her patience and encouragement.

Watching these Chaplin films, is not just seeing the beginning of his film career, it's a
journey back to the America of almost one hundred years ago to see what people laughed at and
enjoyed and just to observe what things seemed to be like in the now distant past.