At least when starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin. Whether being a drunk just trying to get upstairs and get a good night's sleep, a clerk in both a pawn shop and a department store who can't get a break, or a man on rollerskates, he always makes you wonder how he did it. This isn't one of those times when it looks so easy on screen that you have to try it, quite the opposite. But how can someone be so clumsy looking on screen yet so graceful in falling down? That's the magic of Chaplin.
One of two Chaplin compilations released in 1941, this starts off so good in a way that it can never improve on itself, and with a solo act of Chaplin being intoxicated and dealing with getting out of a cab, getting inside, and dealing with all of his paraphernalia that prevents him from getting up the stairs and into his bedroom, followed by a battle with a Murphy bed. Who'd expect to see a Murphy bed in a glamorous apartment like this? This segment last half an hour and isn't just excellent. It is sheer perfection.
From there, we get the pawn shop and the department store, and while there are some very funny moments, they are not anywhere near as funny as Chaplin when he's by himself. But like the first segment, he makes use of every single prop and every opportunity to make you laugh, and often, just the sight of the imperious tall man is comical magic. So you take the good with the bad (or at least the not so excellent), and then you top it off with the rink which is equal to the opening in excellence. Fortunately I saw an excellent print of this with a terrific musical score, and once again, it is one that should be seen in a museum or revival house with an audience.
One of two Chaplin compilations released in 1941, this starts off so good in a way that it can never improve on itself, and with a solo act of Chaplin being intoxicated and dealing with getting out of a cab, getting inside, and dealing with all of his paraphernalia that prevents him from getting up the stairs and into his bedroom, followed by a battle with a Murphy bed. Who'd expect to see a Murphy bed in a glamorous apartment like this? This segment last half an hour and isn't just excellent. It is sheer perfection.
From there, we get the pawn shop and the department store, and while there are some very funny moments, they are not anywhere near as funny as Chaplin when he's by himself. But like the first segment, he makes use of every single prop and every opportunity to make you laugh, and often, just the sight of the imperious tall man is comical magic. So you take the good with the bad (or at least the not so excellent), and then you top it off with the rink which is equal to the opening in excellence. Fortunately I saw an excellent print of this with a terrific musical score, and once again, it is one that should be seen in a museum or revival house with an audience.