Shanghaied is one of Chaplin's early short films that begins in a more ambiguous way than most, meaning that early on, it is pretty hard to tell what's going on, seeing how the film is obviously silent (this is 1915, after all), but as always, by the end of the film the story becomes clearer, and this one is particularly memorable.
Evidently, Charlie is hired to knock out a bunch of drunks with a wooden mallet, which is not brilliant in terms of narrative, but it makes room for some of the endlessly amusing fighting scenes that are commonplace in Chaplin's films. Another thing that is traditional is for the majority of the comedy in each individual film to be derived from one main source, and here, it is a crane that causes all sorts of trouble for Charlie and the other men as they try to clean up a ship.
But as funny as this part of the film is, it REALLY gets good when the dishwashing scene starts. Not only is there some hilarious mishaps involving Charlie confusing the soup pot with the dishwater, but he also slips in some very characteristic moves, dancing around the room in the comical, carefree way that only Charlie can really do. Also, while watching this scene, look for a quick shot of him doing the very same backwards sliding move that he did very extensively in the spectacular song and dance number that he performed at the end of his film Modern Times, which he made more than two decades later.
I think this is the most advanced of Chaplin's earliest films that I've seen so far. It is longer than most of the ones before it and probably has more sight gags and stunts that later became famous in Chaplin's much better known full length films. We see the little tramp as a dishwasher, waiter, lots of fights, the tilting set with sliding dishes and angry sailors, the tramp thumbing his nose at authority, showing a comical eagerness to obtain a job for which he is clearly totally unqualified, sharpening his knife and fork before while the men next to him shovel food in their mouths like cavemen, meanwhile Charlie gives up his impeccable table manners because the heaving ocean is making him seasick.
The story is more complex than previous films but still very simple, although it clearly foresees a lot of the style and imagery of The Immigrant, even down to the eating scenes and the on deck love interest. Stay tuned for the action packed ending, which I think is also one of the best endings that Chaplin had made in his films up to that point. Outstanding!
Evidently, Charlie is hired to knock out a bunch of drunks with a wooden mallet, which is not brilliant in terms of narrative, but it makes room for some of the endlessly amusing fighting scenes that are commonplace in Chaplin's films. Another thing that is traditional is for the majority of the comedy in each individual film to be derived from one main source, and here, it is a crane that causes all sorts of trouble for Charlie and the other men as they try to clean up a ship.
But as funny as this part of the film is, it REALLY gets good when the dishwashing scene starts. Not only is there some hilarious mishaps involving Charlie confusing the soup pot with the dishwater, but he also slips in some very characteristic moves, dancing around the room in the comical, carefree way that only Charlie can really do. Also, while watching this scene, look for a quick shot of him doing the very same backwards sliding move that he did very extensively in the spectacular song and dance number that he performed at the end of his film Modern Times, which he made more than two decades later.
I think this is the most advanced of Chaplin's earliest films that I've seen so far. It is longer than most of the ones before it and probably has more sight gags and stunts that later became famous in Chaplin's much better known full length films. We see the little tramp as a dishwasher, waiter, lots of fights, the tilting set with sliding dishes and angry sailors, the tramp thumbing his nose at authority, showing a comical eagerness to obtain a job for which he is clearly totally unqualified, sharpening his knife and fork before while the men next to him shovel food in their mouths like cavemen, meanwhile Charlie gives up his impeccable table manners because the heaving ocean is making him seasick.
The story is more complex than previous films but still very simple, although it clearly foresees a lot of the style and imagery of The Immigrant, even down to the eating scenes and the on deck love interest. Stay tuned for the action packed ending, which I think is also one of the best endings that Chaplin had made in his films up to that point. Outstanding!