The Fireman (1916) User Reviews

"An honest fire"

[Steffi_P · 7/10 · 13 January 2010]

One of the many advantages Charlie Chaplin had in the independence, confidence and familiarity of this point in his career was that he had a large crew of supporting players, each with their own slightly different character, whom the little tramp could play off of. Since the Fireman does not show Charlie at his funniest, let's take this opportunity to tip our hats to the gentlemen who were the butts of so many of his jokes.

Chaplin's supporting actors came in many shapes and sizes, but they all had one function in common – to be a puffed-up pompous twerp, who it was amusing to see brought down a peg. You see, Charlie's appeal lay in his own lack of pomposity, and his knack of deflating it in others. This even went to the point of Chaplin not always being the centre of attention, but still being the originator of the biggest laughs. And yet it was that army of pratfallers who keep the supply of potential gags flowing and fresh.

So who have we here? Most noticeable is of course Eric Campbell, in his second role for Chaplin. Campbell was a real find, having size coupled with sternness, meaning he was suitable play Chaplin's boss as well as antagonist. As the ultimate burly bully and a grim figure of authority, he provides us with the most satisfaction when Charlie gets the better of him. Then we get the jumped-up, self-important boss's pet as played by Albert Austin. After seeing Campbell repeatedly kick Charlie up the arse, Austin gets in one kick of his own, only to have Charlie ceremoniously kick him back. Finally there is Leo White, and I'm sad to say this really was finally for him because it was the last appearance of his recurring posh twit persona, and his penultimate appearance in any Chaplin picture. He is at his best here though, hopping frantically around trying to get the fire brigade round to his burning house. Charlie's languid, unconcerned response is hilarious, but only because White's exaggerated capering gives him such an excellent counterpoint.

This is all in all a fairly good Chaplin short, typical of the smoothness he displayed at the Mutual studios. It's also notable for a couple of camera trick gags, such as Charlie appearing to put the horses into reverse, or a jump cut which makes it look like the firemen got dressed in a split second. These are pretty funny, but Chaplin clearly did not consider himself a Melies and would not pursue the approach.

And where would we be without our all-important statistic? – Number of kicks up the arse: 15 (1 for, 13 against, 1 other)

Insurance scheme in 1916!

[TheOtherFool · 7/10 · 26 May 2004]

Charlie is a fireman in Eric Campbell's brigade. In the beginning, he oversleeps the alarm bells and therefor is kicked in the ass about a dozen times... I don't know why, but that still cracks me up.

Later on a man is bribing the foreman (with his daughter!) to let his house burn, because he can use the insurance money. But when his place is lit, his own daughter is still in the house! Leave it up to Charlie to save her.

Watch out for the scene where Charlie climbs the house to actually rescue the girl... amazing stuff.

On the whole: pretty good Chaplin classic, not among the very best, but still loads of fun. 7/10.

a bit of a let-down

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 6 July 2006]

In 1914 and early 1915, Chaplin did his first comedy shorts. In general, they were pretty awful--with almost no plot and consisting of him mugging it up on camera and hitting people. However, in 1915 he left Keystone Studio and began making better films with Essenay (though there are some exceptions) and finally, in 1916, to Mutual where he made his best comedy shorts. These newer films had more plot and laughs and usually didn't relay on punching or kicking when they ran out of story ideas.

Compared to other Mutual comedies, this one is a bit of a let-down, as again and again it seems like Charlie and the crew really are given no direction. They just wanter about aimlessly and yell a lot and slap each other, but not a whole lot of plot until the very end. This is a pretty spectacular ending, though, as you really get to see Chaplin's athletic skills!

Typical Occupation Comedy

[CitizenCaine · 6/10 · 1 September 2008]

Chaplin's second film for Mutual in June of 1916 was The Fireman. This is a typical occupation comedy; where upon, a comedian assumes the role within the chosen profession and builds gags around the scenarios associated with it. Chaplin plays a fireman who is initially abused by his chief, played by Eric Campbell. Edna Purviance plays the chief's daughter who becomes a pawn in an insurance scheme between her rich father and the chief. The abused Chaplin is actually no less competent than his fellow firemen, who all appear to be Keystone cop clones. The sight gags and slapstick of the first part of the film yield to a more plot-oriented second half. Chaplin's athleticism, which is often overlooked, is highlighted through the film from inside the firehouse to how he rescues Edna Purviance in the end. The film benefits from a balance between its indoor settings and its location shooting. The film's weakness is its repetition of gags and propensity of lingering too long within the fire station. **1/2 of 4 stars.

Simple Comedy, Mostly Knockabout Slapstick

[Snow Leopard · 31 August 2001]

There's not very much to the simple short comedy "The Fireman" besides the kind of knockabout slapstick that might have been getting a little old even in 1916, but at least in Chaplin's hands it is watchable and it has some good moments. It moves quickly and gets pretty manic at times, and if there had been a little more depth or creativity, it could have been pretty good.

The setting offers many props and story possibilities. A few times these are worked into the action in creative ways, but more often, the movie relies on the same type of humor repeated over and over again. When it comes to comedy ideas such as falling down, kicking someone, and the like, Chaplin is better than almost anyone else of his era in carrying off the gag, but in this case the movie just relies on such things too heavily, instead of working in some more imaginative material.

The cast includes some Chaplin regulars, most notably Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance, who are always worth seeing. And there are the kernels of some good ideas, as well as some stretches when the slapstick is funny. So it had the makings of a very good comedy - but as it is, it's OK but below average for Chaplin.

Fine Fodder for Chaplin Fans

[drqshadow-reviews · 6/10 · 31 August 2022]

Charlie Chaplin and friends find work in a crooked fire station, where a wealthy businessman makes an arrangement with the chief to conveniently ignore a house fire so he can cash in his insurance policy. Just enough plot to introduce a smidgen of conflict and move us from one setting to the next, lest the scenery grow too static and the props outlive their usefulness.

In the first act, Charlie flops around the fire house. Sleeping through alarm bells, miraculously sliding up poles, booting his coworkers in the ass and grossing everybody out with his cooking. Standard silent movie physical humor. The second half whisks us away to the scene of the emergency, where our insurance scam has taken an undesirable turn and the fire must be put out after all. Here, the stakes mount and Chaplin closes the show with a hilarious window rescue scene involving a three-story ladder and an obvious mannequin stand-in.

Not one of the comedian's most memorable short films, but (as usual) his physical presence elevates what would have otherwise been a very simple, pointless story. A bit over-stretched, as these things go, but there are far worse ways to burn half an hour.

The Fireman review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 29 June 2020]

A typical Chaplin movie from this relatively early stage in the comic's career. He's a clumsy fireman with authority issues due to the bullying nature of fire chief Eric Campbell who takes a liking to Campbell's sweetheart (Edna Purviance). There's nothing groundbreaking here, but the pace is lightning fast and watching Chaplin tormenting Campbell is always fun.

My First Impression Of Chaplin

[armybrat987 · 8/10 · 14 October 2004]

I first saw this movie back in January of this year, around my high school's exam time.

I was stressed out, so I went looking for movies to watch on the Internet, and I came across this.

This was my first Chaplin film; indeed, this was my first silent film, and I must say it made a very good impression on me.

I'm more a fan of verbal comedy, but this was unexpectedly funny!

However, I thought the butt-kicking a bit incessant and found no humor in it.

Other than that, a hilarious film. I give it two thumbs up!

More of a cold shower

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 4 October 2013]

This 1916 Chaplin short film builds a lot on its factors from the past. It's about 24 minutes long, a duration found for several of Chaplin's shorts. Eric Campbell is the main antagonist again and Edna Purviance plays the damsel in distress, although she doesn't appear until 9 minutes in. Before that it's Chaplin versus Campbell at the fire station and as always the huge Eric Cambell gets in trouble from Charlie's accidental actions. And of course, as you could expect from the location, there's lots of water splashing and foam action going on.

After the comedic action, it gets a bit more serious, when Purviance enters the picture. Attempted insurance fraud, a big dangerous fire threatening a woman's life and some more critical scenes turn it into quite a drama. Of course, it's still paired with Chaplin's slapstick routine, so it's nothing too hard to digest. Nonetheless,I have to say I wasn't too fond of this film. The fire station action wasn't half as funny as it could have been, romance was almost non-existent here and was usually a factor that elevated some of Chaplin's other works, because it was displayed with so much heart and there's a scene where Campbell's character punches Charlie with full power in the face. Surprisingly, or probably not surprisingly given the tone of Chaplin's films, he gets up pretty quickly, but that was a scene of unnecessary brutal violence that is rather uncommon for most of Chaplin's films. On a more positive note, my favorite scene was the one where Chaplin stops the alarm from ringing as he wants to finish his board-game with another fireman, which made me quite laugh. All in all, I'd recommend this one only to Chaplin fanatics and for everybody else there's better choices to get into his filmography.

Rousing fire

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 10 June 2018]

Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors.

From his post-Essanay period after leaving Keystone, 'The Fireman' is not one of his very best but is one of his best early efforts and among the better short films of his. It shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career, from 1914, The Essanay and Mutual periods were something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. Something that can be seen in the more than worthwhile 'The Fireman'.

The story is more discernible than usual and is never dull, but is sometimes a bit too busy and manic.

On the other hand, 'The Fireman' looks pretty good, not incredible but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work and not churning out countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.

While not one of his most hilarious or touching, 'The Fireman' is still very funny with some clever, entertaining and well-timed slapstick and has substance and pathos that generally were not there with Keystone. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight. The ending is great fun.

Chaplin directs more than competently, if not quite cinematic genius standard yet. He also, as usual, gives an amusing and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality and substance of the role. The supporting cast acquit themselves well, particularly a charming Edna Purviance.

In summary, very good and one of the best from Chaplin's 1916 output. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Some nice ideas but not enough laughs

[tgooderson · 5/10 · 14 August 2012]

A Fire Chief (Eric Campbell) is approached by a man (Lloyd Bacon) who asks that the Fire Department ignores a fire at his house so that he may collect the insurance money. The man insures that his daughter (Edna Purviance) is out during the fire so remains unharmed. The woman is not out though when an arsonist sets the property alight and she gets trapped upstairs. Meanwhile the Firemen which include accident prone Charlie Chaplin are at another house, putting out a fire. When the man realises his daughter is trapped he searches for them, finding Chaplin who attempts to save the day and win the woman's heart.

Amazingly The Fireman was Chaplin's 52nd film but was released in June 1916. Despite his age and lack of years in the industry he was by now a pro and it shows here with clever gags and a nice central idea. Unfortunately the film suffers from a similar problem as The Floorwalker in that it just isn't quite funny enough.

Although not awash with comedy there are some excellent comic turns to be found. A particular highlight of mine was the dual use of the fire engine as a means of putting out fire and as an over-sized coffee machine. The gag works very well visually and adds a little bit of surrealism which I always like to see. Another laugh comes when Chaplin falls backwards on to a man who is kneeling down, scrubbing a floor. The weight of Chaplin on his back sends the man's head straight into a bucket of water. As well as these sight gags there are the little touches which can often go unnoticed. Chaplin had a habit of using a recurring gag where by he would trip and doff his hat to the curb. Here as a Fireman he salutes. It's a nice in joke and twist on one of his favourites.

One interesting point about the film is that it shows a near deserted area of Los Angeles. It's incredible to see footage of the metropolis less than a hundred years ago and compare it to today. There are few streets and fewer houses and just one vehicle in the background of one shot. To me a lot of Chaplin's location work is fascinating for its background detail as well as its focus.

Another aspect of the film which I enjoyed was the reversing of film to create some odd looking and humorous scenes. The film is reversed to create the effect of Chaplin sliding up a Fireman's pole (in the literal sense) and is also used on a couple of occasions to create images of horses walking backwards which looks very odd indeed. This is another example of Chaplin's ever expanding inventiveness. Because of this and other clever ideas it's a shame that he resorts to so much that even by 1916 was tired and well used. The kick up the backside gag is repeated here several times and although it's Chaplin on the receiving end it does feel a little overdone. The plot itself feels fairly formulaic and very similar to previous films.

Despite the problems with the movie such as tired plot and jack of jokes it ends on a high. The final scene is exciting and sweet and brings the proceedings to a pleasant close. Chaplin's climbing and acrobatics are excellent and even though he has an obviously fake Edna Purviance on his back, the stunts are still impressive. Despite being his second Mutual film it still feels as though Chaplin was finding his feet with the company and though exploring new ideas was relying too heavily on safe material.

www.attheback.blogspot.com

Maybe Chaplin's best early comedy?

[Anonymous_Maxine · 10/10 · 23 April 2008]

The Fireman soon strikes me as a perfect example of just how good Chaplin's earliest films could be. So many of the Keystone and Essanay comedies are rough and simple comedies with a lot of comical punching and kicking and not much else. This one has a developed story, multiple sets, location shooting, a nice love story, even a full-sized structure fire. It's also one of the earliest and best examples of Chaplin using reverse motion in his films. Here, it is used several times, and with surprisingly convincing effect, to show people going up and down the fireman's pole and to drive the horse-drawn fire engine forwards and backwards.

Charlie is in good form as he is working diligently on the fire truck, and then quickly stands at attention and salutes when the fire chief boots him on the rear while he works. He salutes each time only to be rewarded with a good thrashing, once again showing a hard working guy getting abused and mistreated by his superiors. Finally, he decides he's had enough and fights back, only to be demoted to the cook's assistant, a job at which he is satisfactorily unqualified. Lots of comic mayhem ensues.

But the movie really gets good after Charlie attempts to serve dinner and soon finds the fire chief, covered in soup from head to toe, chasing him all over the station. A couple of distinguished guests arrive, and the well-dressed man tells the chief that if he allows his house to burn down so he can get the insurance money, he'll offer up his daughter's hand in marriage. What a loving father. The chief agrees, and it's an ominous sign when the daughter shows a clear interest in Charlie rather than the chief.

The chief orders the men to ignore the fire alarm, showing what a responsible leader he is, so they all ignore a genuine fire call until it's almost too late. Soon they realize their error and head with all possible speed to the site of the emergency, which sure looks to me like they really set a house on fire for the movie. I'm also curious to know where exactly the exterior shots were filmed, because I come from Los Angeles and it's always fascinating to me to know where exactly shots like that were taken so I can see what it looked like more than 90 year ago.

There is a healthy amount of poetic justice in the film, which is one of it's strongest points. Every action has a reaction, and all corrupt decisions are punished by fate. The corrupt man sets his house on fire, only to accidentally do so with his daughter upstairs, and not only has he asked the firemen not to respond, they are already busy with the "honest fire" anyway. He runs on foot to find them, and when he tells Charlie, the real love interest, about the fire, Charlie steals the fire truck and heads over there, leaving the rest of the team with no way to fight the real fire.

The truck breaks in half on the way to the other fire, so Charlie is forced into the role of a hero. It's clear as he's climbing back down the wall on the outside of the house with the woman on his back that she's a dummy, but it's a clever effect and it works well enough.

When I see things like that, and especially things like the reverse motion used in parts of the film, I always wonder how they were received when shown to the movie's original audiences. Film was still an embryonic art form, and the general public had extremely little knowledge or understanding of it. I am willing to bet that a good part of the audience was totally stunned by seeing the horses walk backwards, and not because they're stupid, just because they had never seen something like that before, and it would have been much more difficult for a layman in 1916 to imagine running a film clip in reverse than it is for us today, when it is one of the simplest special effects that we can do.

Lately I've been watching a lot of Chaplin's old comedies, and I always try to view them in reference to the time in which they are made, but even so, some of them are genuinely crude and look like they were slapped together in a few hours (which many of them were). But The Fireman is definitely one of the strongest of all of the early comedies that I've seen.

Charlie's Rise to Flame

[lugonian · 8/10 · 30 August 2015]

THE FIREMAN (Mutual, 1916), Written and Directed by Charlie Chaplin, stars Chaplin himself in his second Mutual/Lone Star Production, following his previous Mutual effort as THE FLOORWALKER (1916). Now having his Mutual productions of twenty-minute comedy shorts merely as follow-ups rather than a continuing series playing the same basic character from one venture to another, Chaplin once again plays a nameless individual in a new profession supported by the same co-stars from his Mutual stock company, namely Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance as an added presence, along with Albert Austin and Frank J. Coleman among others playing firemen in the best Keystone Kops tradition.

The story, set in a single day, finds its initial ten minutes showing routine procedures of firemen of Firehouse 23 (interesting it wasn't Firehouse 13 for added bad luck effect). The fire chief (Eric Campbell) blows his whistle awakening the firemen on the second floor coming down the fire pole for roll call, all but one, Charlie (Charlie Chaplin), as he sleeps through the sound of both whistle and fire bell. The course of the morning finds Charlie from one mishap after another while serving breakfast to the staff and later playing checkers with a fellow fireman (Albert Austin) while ignoring the telephone as it constantly rings off the hook. The subplot involves a father (Lloyd Bacon) plotting to burn his own home to collect insurance, and promising his daughter's (Edna Purviance) hand in marriage to the fire chief to not reveal his sinister plot. As the father proceeds with his scheme, another house catches fire, with Edna trapped inside one of them.

THE FIREMAN is vintage slapstick in the best silent film tradition of comedy producer Mack Sennett, now under supervision of comedy producer/ star Charlie Chaplin in control. Aside from numerous kicks in the seat between Eric and Charlie, along with scenes capturing a race down the rural areas of possibly Los Angeles back in the day of dirt roads, telephone poles and the wide open spaces between residential homes that are no doubt currently sited with six-lane highways, apartment complexes and/ or crowded shopping malls. THE FIREMAN is a historic look back into 1916 where fire trucks with sirens were not the case here but firemen and equipment on a wagon pulled by horses like a chariot. There's also believable use of trick photography by 1916 standards of horse pulling fire wagon returning to the firehouse backwards.

When presented on television dating back to the 1960s or earlier on either a commercial or public television, prints shown were those from 1930s reissue with ragtime style scoring, sound effects of bird chirping, bell ringing and a voice-over from character actor Leo White yelling "Help! Fire" multiple times. The latter would be of great interest for 1916 movie goers to hear had sound been of the essence at that time. In all actuality, these effects and the heard distress calls of "Fire" make this silent comedy all the better for comedic purposes. This is the print commonly found on home video in the 1980s and 90s through Blackhawk or Republic Home Video. Aside from that, there's also prints with piano scoring as well. In recent years with film restoration of clearer visuals, new orchestral scoring has been placed with correct silent speed on DVD (from Kino Home Video) extending THE FIREMAN from its traditional 20 to 31 minutes.

No doubt, THE FIREMAN ranks one of Chaplin's funnier outings having him trade his traditional derby, cane and tramp costume for fireman's clothes. Edna Purviance, in checkered dress, resumes her pretty heroine role while Eric Campbell, in sideburns and walrus mustache this time around, add to some great scenes as needed. One of the favorites of Chaplin/Mutual comedies that can be found once in a while on cable television, notably Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 6, 1999). Next in the Mutual series, something completely different yet the beginning of the new Chaplin tradition, comedy and pathos from THE VAGABOND (1916). (***)

Kicks and backward moves in a bustling fireman's day

[guisreis · 8/10 · 11 January 2016]

"The fireman" is a funny short film from Chaplin, although not being among his very best movies. The little tramp here is, as expected, a fireman. Off course everything he does is a disaster, as he is sleepy, clumsy, quarrelsome and sneaky. The outcome is that he is probably the character most times kicked in the ass ever in the history of cinema! Chaplin's slapstick is funny as it uses to be and I always love Eric Campbell as his antagonist (here, as the furious boss, also with the same love interest as usual). The choreographs performed by the firefighters are very charming. The most interesting element in this short film, that makes it somewhat innovative ans special, are the visual effects. Although simple, they are smart and funny. The horse drawn fire pumper moving backward, the quick change of clothes by the firemen... these are all simple visual effects, off course, but they are precise in adding funny moments to the story. I said that everything our favorite fireman did was a disaster, didn't I? Well, not everything. Edna Purviance was there...

Charlie Chaplin- a funny fireman

[Petey-10 · 9/10 · 28 February 2011]

This silent short takes place in a fire station.Charlie is a fireman who does everything wrong.A man talks the fire chief into ignoring his burning home, because he wants the insurance money.What the man doesn't know is that his daughter (the love of the chief) happens to be upstairs in the house.Will Chaplin safe the day? The Fireman from 1916 is Charles Chaplin's second film he created for Mutual Film Corporation.The movie has its usual Chaplin cast.Alongside the comedian there is Edna Purviance as Girl.Lloyd Bacon is Her Father.Big man Eric Campbell is Foreman of the Brigade.Leo White plays Owner of Burning House.It's most funny to watch Chaplin waking up.And the way he uses the fireman's pole, is just hilarious.And reversing the horses is lots of fun to watch.This Chaplin short is an action-packed comedy that's gonna leave a smile on your face.

David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 10 September 2007]

Monday September 10, 7:00 pm, The Paramount Theater, Seattle

Referring to Chaplin's Mutual films and The Fireman, in his book American Silent Film, William K. Everson explains, "The weakest of them, the purely slapstick entries, such as The Fireman, are still superior to the best of the Keystones and Essanays; and the best of them (The Immigrant, Easy Street, The Rink) could stand with his best work from any period." The Fireman relies entirely upon the physical brutality found in those earlier films for much of its humor. Charlie suffers the indignities of his fellow firemen and flirts with the chief's (Eric Campbell) sweetheart (Edna Purviance). She visits the station with her father who tells the chief, "Let my house burn. I'll get the insurance and you can wed my daughter." Of course, it goes wrong, there is "An honest fire," and Charlie rescues Edna from her burning house while the other firemen are occupied in truest Keystone fashion.

Pure Slapstick in the Firehouse

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 6 July 2021]

Charlie Chaplin said the happiest he had ever been during his career was with his third film studio, Mutual Film Corporation. Film historians claim his best and most innovative movies Chaplin produced came out of his 18-month association with Mutual. The comedian was appreciative of the one-month period he was allowed to create each of his movies, a luxury he wasn't afforded with his previous employers.

In June 1916's "The Fireman," Chaplin reverted back to his Keystone Studio days with slapstick dominating almost every frame. He plays a firetruck driver whose firemen cohorts are an imitation of the Keystone Cops. They bumble from fire event to fire event. Their captain, played by Eric Campbell, is particularly brutal towards Chaplin--but the bossman gets his comeuppance as the movie unfolds.

Campbell, the hulking, six foot five, 300 pound actor, appeared in a number of Chaplin films, beginning with 1916's "The Floorwalker." In real life Campbell married a gold-digger in the autumn of 1917 a few months after his first wife died of a heart attack in a Santa Monica restaurant. His 16-year old daughter had been hit by a car soon after her mother died, causing extensive injuries. When a couple months after his second marriage ended up in divorce, and with his daughter still in the hospital, Campbell, getting hammered during a cast party, crashed his car at 4 in the morning and died at 37 years old.

Absolute Classic

[sirchristo75 · 9/10 · 14 June 2022]

Love this little short. Charlie is a comedic genius. The greatest comic actor of all time. Great comedic timing, charm and performance by sir Chaplin.

Charlie The Fireman

[hausrathman · 1 February 2004]

"The Firemen," the second of Chaplin's golden dozen of comedies for the Mutual Company, is probably my least favorite of the bunch. It is a typical occupational comedy, where a comedian is placed in a certain job and wrings the comic potential from the various tools of the trade. It's not a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination. There certainly are laughs, and Chaplin does milk some simple gags, like the incessant butt-kicking, a little more successfully than he did at Keystone or Essanay. (For example, in a Keystone comedy, if someone bent over, someone else would automatically kick them in the butt. Here, if you bend over you will still get kicked, but Chaplin makes a little more of it. He will consider the butt, address it as it were, before he makes his kick. It is a small step to be sure, but every step is important.) Chaplin also attempts stretch a little technically with some backward motion gags, but they are obvious and not very funny. Overall, the film suffers because it does not reach the standard Chaplin would set for himself with his later efforts.