Charlie Chaplin: The Essanay Comedies (1915-1916) (Review)

Commenting on the ease of writing a review never needs to be brought up because it isn’t relevant. However, any notion of hardship from writing such an article typically comes from a need to evade spoilers. BFI’s Chaplin Essanay’s comedy set is different purely because of how uniform and similar the contained 16 films are. This is no slight on the nature of silent comedy as 2016’s Buster Keaton collection was a joy to sift through, but being the forefather of modern stunt work that he was, those films stand out as a little more distinct. It isn’t quite the same for Charlie Chaplin’s beginnings.

Whether by influence, artistry – the German, Russian and occasional American Silent films that make it out to a new fascinated 21st-century audience will find something interesting to discover. Not only that, many of those silent films released anew on home video are deceptively modern. In discussing these icons of early cinema, I previously concluded that we are in an era of creative inertia – an unavoidable truth for those of us commenting on contemporary cinema. Head back to those early pioneers, and you will find creative minds inventing a language and challenging themselves to tell stories in visually unique ways. Return to the modern-day, and you will find wave after wave of directors taking what has been done before and telling their stories using long-established tools and ideologies. There may be names who deviate from this dull consensus, but it is with this that we have seen a rise in people accusing Hollywood of creative bankruptcy.

Why bring this up? The answer is simple, these short comedy films that saw the crystallization of Charlie Chaplin into a mega movie star are harder to champion than the typical silent. While it would be churlish to overlook the fun contained within each of these 16 films, the unavoidable truth is that the style of comedy is repetitive. There are exceptions to the rule – for example, the pratfalls of Shanghaied’s swishing boat provides the set with its freshest and funniest moments. The Tramp saw the invention of one of the most enduring characters. And His New Job looked behind the curtain of filmmaking with Chaplin’s eager persona trying everything on set before chaos eventually took over. That chaos and the sense of humour is camped within the slapstick, which is to say there’s an awful lot of fighting, slapping, kicking and pushing people in their face. A sword is even poked in the last place it should ever be. People who are already fans of Chaplin will likely delight in everything these Essanay produced shorts offer, new fans, however, may be harder to convert.

To return to the idea posited earlier about the surprising modernity of previously released silent films, while it may not extend to these films, it is an important touchstone in the discussion of this material. Historically speaking, it is beyond amazing that films made a century ago still subscribe to any modern style (or vice versa). However, these silent icons that have gone down in legend weren’t as beloved in their day. This is thanks to the very idea of the cinema-going experience evolving beyond all recognition over the past century.

In 1915 and 1916, the cinema-going experience was far from what we have now. We can go to cinemas and watch films from all over the world in complete comfort, turn on the TV or the internet, the modern movie couldn’t be more accessible. Whereas then, films didn’t come close to sitting atop the entertainment world. That honour was held by radio, with families sitting around the ‘wireless’ and the superstar voices of the day. It wasn’t until Television became a fixture in the home in the 1950s that this idea began to be consigned to the history books. Film watching habits of the day saw people visiting their local cinema for the news (British Pathe) and a film, and through that, the star of Chaplin rose to the stratospheres, and his mannered gait where he pushed his feet outwards and walked only on his heels began its journey to the thing of legend it is today.

Time is a cruel mistress. Assessing these Essanay Comedies, these Charlie Chaplin shorts, with modern eyes and separating from the fandom, they become repetitive. Look at them in their era, and they are a tonic for a world where World War I was claiming the lives of a generation. As Preston Sturges’s wonderful Sullivan’s Travels suggested – “laughter is the best medicine”. And this year of films financed and released by Essanay and starring & directed by Charlie Chaplin was the perfect antidote at the perfect time.

BFI have an embarrassment of riches hidden deep in their archive and this is release perfectly embodies that strength. While impossible to restore these to their original quality, the 12-year collaboration led by Lobster Films and Cinteca di Bologna restores life and verve back to these 102-year-old films. While they are enjoyable, knockabout comedy shorts they also form a collected work of a fascinating era in cinema history. They may not be overly successful at creating new fans but as a monument to the early doors of one of cinema’s immortal icons, it is a little different. These Essanay comedies demand the attention of anyone fascinated by those talented men and women who helped turn the movies into our great love affair, it ain’t a bad boxset for all you Chaplin fans either.

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