Chaplin made what are arguably the best short features of his career while under contract to Mutual. By this time, his "Little Tramp" character was fully defined as a mixture of mischief and pathos. Thus, Chaplin was free to devise more complicated gag-strings (such as the tediously-rehearsed escalator sequence of "The Floorwalker") and to integrate them into sophisticated storytelling. "The Immigrant" deftly demonstrates the latter, presenting a tale which was no doubt familiar to the urban immigrant masses of the Northeast who were the movies' first audiences.
"Charlot" is at the top of his game from the opening frames (in which he appears to be sea-sick, then reveals his struggle over the ship's rail is actually an attempt to pull a fish aboard), through a steerage-class crapshoot (his whole-body dice rolls manage to combine ballet with baseball), and into a final showdown of wits with a surly waiter (resident heavy Eric Campbell in a role that allows his acting talent a little more lustre than other Chaplin shorts of the period).
What is, historically, most interesting about "The Immigrant" is the political message inferred from it at the time. In one telling scene, Chaplin kicks an immigration officer who manhandles him into an Ellis Island processing line. This might not have been seen as the affront it was if Chaplin had been a U.S. citizen. Born in England, living in America, however, Chaplin announced himself "a citizen of the world." His citizenship was brought under further scrutiny by his conspicuous failure to enlist for duty in World War I. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, to note that "The Immigrant" was cited as damning evidence when J. Edgar Hoover sent Chaplin into political exile many years later.
"Charlot" is at the top of his game from the opening frames (in which he appears to be sea-sick, then reveals his struggle over the ship's rail is actually an attempt to pull a fish aboard), through a steerage-class crapshoot (his whole-body dice rolls manage to combine ballet with baseball), and into a final showdown of wits with a surly waiter (resident heavy Eric Campbell in a role that allows his acting talent a little more lustre than other Chaplin shorts of the period).
What is, historically, most interesting about "The Immigrant" is the political message inferred from it at the time. In one telling scene, Chaplin kicks an immigration officer who manhandles him into an Ellis Island processing line. This might not have been seen as the affront it was if Chaplin had been a U.S. citizen. Born in England, living in America, however, Chaplin announced himself "a citizen of the world." His citizenship was brought under further scrutiny by his conspicuous failure to enlist for duty in World War I. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, to note that "The Immigrant" was cited as damning evidence when J. Edgar Hoover sent Chaplin into political exile many years later.
Tell Your Friends