This is one of my top favorite Chaplin shorts, because of the abundance of slapstick action and of course Charlie's jaw-dropping roller skating skills! Another reviewer mentioned that this left us wishing he'd have put the skates on more often. It'd be 20 years before we'd see the likes of this again in "Modern Times". But I absolutely LOVE this one!
In that context, I thought this might be a good example of how my overall opinion of Chaplin's earlier work differs from some other fans & critics. I don't subscribe to the notion that his Tramp character wasn't so "likeable" in the early days as he became more even-tempered so over time. His aggressive tendencies when aggravated or impatient were much less restrained early on.
But I actually enjoy seeing this in the Tramp; the aggression, to me, actually makes him more attractive in a "manly" way and I like/love him no less for it. Chaplin's little guy has a lot of backbone and is no pushover (figuratively). An adversary's size (or sometimes gender) made no difference to him; he's no more afraid of the monstrous Eric Campbell than he is of anyone else. You didn't mess with Charlie! As a fairly short and un-intimidating woman, I've often wished *I* had that kind of chutzpa in the face of bullies. ;-)
The 3 Stooges were often the same way: after a point, you didn't mess with them, either! Several key players who worked with the Stooges like director Del Lord and supporting stars Bud Jamison and Vernon Dent, all cut their teeth in Sennett's silent movie slapstick. Jamison is in several of Chaplin's early shorts, and Del Lord was once the driver of the Keystone Cops. So you can see it's possible that the little Tramp's persona in some ways foreshadowed and shaped those of the Stooges.
In that context, I thought this might be a good example of how my overall opinion of Chaplin's earlier work differs from some other fans & critics. I don't subscribe to the notion that his Tramp character wasn't so "likeable" in the early days as he became more even-tempered so over time. His aggressive tendencies when aggravated or impatient were much less restrained early on.
But I actually enjoy seeing this in the Tramp; the aggression, to me, actually makes him more attractive in a "manly" way and I like/love him no less for it. Chaplin's little guy has a lot of backbone and is no pushover (figuratively). An adversary's size (or sometimes gender) made no difference to him; he's no more afraid of the monstrous Eric Campbell than he is of anyone else. You didn't mess with Charlie! As a fairly short and un-intimidating woman, I've often wished *I* had that kind of chutzpa in the face of bullies. ;-)
The 3 Stooges were often the same way: after a point, you didn't mess with them, either! Several key players who worked with the Stooges like director Del Lord and supporting stars Bud Jamison and Vernon Dent, all cut their teeth in Sennett's silent movie slapstick. Jamison is in several of Chaplin's early shorts, and Del Lord was once the driver of the Keystone Cops. So you can see it's possible that the little Tramp's persona in some ways foreshadowed and shaped those of the Stooges.