The Circus.

Review #1025: The Circus.

Cast: 
Charlie Chaplin (A Tramp), Al Ernest Garcia (The Circus Proprietor and Ringmaster), Merna Kennedy (His Step-daughter, A Circus Rider), Harry Crocker (Rex, A Tight Rope Walker), George Davis (A Magician), Henry Bergman (An Old Clown), Tiny Sandford (The Head Property Man), and John Rand (An Assistant Property Man) Directed by Charlie Chaplin (#353 - Monsieur Verdoux, #599 - The Kid, #600 - City Lights, #759 - The Gold Rush, #775 - Shoulder Arms, #820 - Modern Times, and #923 - The Pilgrim)

Review: 
Silent films are interesting to watch, particularly comedies. What does it mean to be funny? With the Tramp, there is something inherently entertaining about this silent clown, whether due to his physical appearance or the way he moves around, and this is especially prevalent in this film, in which he joins the circus. There are numerous entertaining sequences that inspire numerous laughs, from a chase sequence in the beginning to a tightrope sequence near the end with monkeys that is dare-defying along with amusing in its execution. The scene with the lion in the cage is also one that stands out for its thrills (with the sequence reportedly taking over 200 takes to get correctly), and it is one that certainly looks chilling even for the modern age. There is just a great semblance of imagination and entertainment that the movie inspires due to the circus setting, with a story that is simple but also fairly dynamic as well. The rest of the cast do a fine job, with Garcia doing good in playing opposite Chaplin as the ringmaster. The ending is a bit murky along with bittersweet, although at least the ending shot of him walking off in the distance is a memorable one. It likely isn't as great as The Gold Rush (1925), but it is at the very least one of Chaplin's best films.

There were numerous production delays and problems, such as a studio fire, the death of Chaplin's mother, Chaplin's divorce from his wife and claims of owed back taxes by the IRS that made filming stall for eight months. In any case, the film was released three months after The Jazz Singer. Both that film and Chaplin were recognized by the Academy during the 1st Academy Awards with Honorary Awards, with Chaplin receiving one for "for writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus". In the late 1960s, he did a new musical score for the movie, with a recording of him singing "Swing Little Girl" playing over the opening credits of the film, and it is certainly an interesting way to begin things. At 70 minutes, this is an entertaining film that proves to be highly satisfying with its slapstick comedy, all due to the talent of Chaplin that comes out greatly on screen. It's an agile kind of movie that has enough sight gags and snappy title cards to make this an easy one to recommend for anyone.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Modern Times.

Review #820: Modern Times.

Cast
Charlie Chaplin (A Factory Worker), Paulette Goddard (Ellen Peterson, The Gamin), Henry Bergman (Café Proprietor), Tiny Sandford (Big Bill), Chester Conklin (A Mechanic), Al Ernest Garcia (President of the Electro Steel Corp), Stanley Blystone (Gamin's Father), and Richard Alexander (Prison Cellmate) Directed by Charlie Chaplin (#353 - Monsieur Verdoux, #599 - The Kid, #600 - City Lights, #759 - The Gold Rush, and #775 - Shoulder Arms)

Review
This was the first movie Chaplin did with dialogue and sound effects, though it is only used prominently for scenes at the factory, with his character remaining silent, save for one song (sung entirely in gibberish) at the end of the film, with inter titles used throughout the movie, at a time when sound films had become the norm. The Little Tramp (the character that Chaplin played in a good deal of his films, though it wasn't usually listed as such in the credits) had a charm that Chaplin felt would be lost if the character ever spoke on screen. From this point on, his films would be in sound, sans the Tramp. As for this movie, Chaplin once again excels at his own brand of slapstick comedy, with the drama aspects (with regards to the time this was made) being balanced well enough to make for a really influential movie that still fits even 80 years later. Chaplin always managed to make his character an easy one to root for, while still being easy to have a laugh for the things he gets into, such as when he tries to keep up with an assembly line, with hilarious results. Watching him on screen is always a treat, and the supporting cast is excellent, with Chaplin and Goddard having good chemistry together; Garcia and Bergman (two regulars of Chaplin films) are also pretty good highlights. The themes of the movie (namely the rise of the industrialization in a modern world) are weaved in excellently, managing to be told alongside the comedy without any troubles. I can't tell which Chaplin film (of the six featured on Movie Night) is the best at this moment, but Modern Times is certainly another Chaplin film that is perfectly handled with a dynamic that he did excellently. The movie ends with an uncertain future for the two characters, but there is at least a gleam of hope, even in what seems to be the most hopeless of times.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: City Lights.

Review #600: City Lights.

Cast
Charlie Chaplin (The Tramp), Virginia Cherrill (A Blind Girl), Florence Lee (Her Grandmother), Harry Myers (An Eccentric Millionaire), Al Ernest Garcia (His Butler), and Hank Mann (A Prizefighter) Directed by Charlie Chaplin (#353 -Monsieur Verdoux and #599 - The Kid)

Review
To close out this road to 600 Reviews, is a familiar face. Charlie Chaplin is probably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, not only did he star in his own films, he was also the director, the writer, the producer and even the composer of the music for his own films. He starred in numerous films all throughout the early 20th century, eventually venturing into feature length films, and this is one of them. This was made just as sound films became popular, but Chaplin didn't care, he wanted to keep the silent charm of the iconic character, the Tramp. The movie has a neat premise that is simple yet easily compelling. Chaplin is a good director, but he is an even better actor. Watching him interact with everyone is pure joy, especially his first scene with Myers, which is exceedingly hilarious. Chaplin and Cherrill work well together, interacting perfectly together, and it adds a new layer to an already fun movie. The slapstick is fun to watch and extremely hilarious along with being memorable, especially the boxing match, for all of its silliness and charm. The whole movie is charming and warm, and the cast is just right. The final scene with Chaplin and Cherrill is absolutely perfect and is probably one of the best end scenes in motion history. This is a remarkable movie that is absolutely recommended for everyone, young and old, for happy or for the sad. Thank you for all of your support over the past 3 and a half years, and I hope for another 600 reviews.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.