It would probably be inaccurate to claim that Mack Sennett's Keystone-comedies of 1914 only provided either havoc in a park or havoc at an auto-race track, but I would have understood it if someone had that impression. Taking place during a genuine auto-race, GENTLEMEN OF NERVE resembles several previous Keystone-films quite a bit, notably THE SPEED KINGS as well as Chaplin's own KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE and MABEL AT THE WHEEL. Here, Mabel and Mack Swain look forward to a day at the races when Charlie turns up and causes plenty of annoyance to Swain, as he openly flirts with Mabel.
Nothing truly new under the sun, perhaps, but GENTLEMEN OF NERVE still ranks among the more amusing Keystones Chaplin appeared in. One funny bit involves Mack trying to enter the raceway through a hole in a fence but gets stuck, only to get a policeman behind him at that very unpleasant moment. Chaplin is completely confident in his role as "the little fellow" by this time; though still far less lovable than in later films, his playful agility and facial expressions are worth the time for their own sake. It's also interesting to note that the crowds of people surrounding him in this film, many of whom have presumably turned up only to enjoy the auto-race, often seem to recognize Chaplin by this time, less than a year after he entered the medium of film. Such location shots in Chaplin's films would become less and less frequent through the next year and then disappear altogether, but while making GENTLEMEN OF NERVE, he still has to cope with the curious crowds while trying to be creative as a performer.
In sum, the film is not a master piece, and was never intended to be; on the other hand, it's still quite funny.
Nothing truly new under the sun, perhaps, but GENTLEMEN OF NERVE still ranks among the more amusing Keystones Chaplin appeared in. One funny bit involves Mack trying to enter the raceway through a hole in a fence but gets stuck, only to get a policeman behind him at that very unpleasant moment. Chaplin is completely confident in his role as "the little fellow" by this time; though still far less lovable than in later films, his playful agility and facial expressions are worth the time for their own sake. It's also interesting to note that the crowds of people surrounding him in this film, many of whom have presumably turned up only to enjoy the auto-race, often seem to recognize Chaplin by this time, less than a year after he entered the medium of film. Such location shots in Chaplin's films would become less and less frequent through the next year and then disappear altogether, but while making GENTLEMEN OF NERVE, he still has to cope with the curious crowds while trying to be creative as a performer.
In sum, the film is not a master piece, and was never intended to be; on the other hand, it's still quite funny.