Chaplin's "Behind the Screen"

“Behind the Screen” (1916, USA, Chaplin)


Chaplin’s 57th short “Behind the Screen” immediately sets up the two social themes of this short in the first two sequences. In the first, we see an aspiring actress who just wants a job acting or working on the films in any way and is told no in favor of male counterparts. The second is the David (Chaplin’s stagehand) and Goliath (the stagehand’s oaffish boss) story. There is also stagehand strike going on which Chaplin seems to half-heartedly take part in to get way from Goliath but goes to work on the next set as an actor. He also seems to think his fellow stagehands (of the union) are beneath him. This seems strange given that Chaplin the man was a very pro-union, pro-artist kind of guy. However, when he gives up his job as stagehand to Goliath, the girl from the beginning, disguised as a man, takes the job. Chaplin notices that it is a woman and helps her along anyway (even if the interest is romantic in nature). So David uses his socially responsible compass when it suits the direction he wishes to proceed in.

There are some pretty funny moments in this short as well as the token chase, pie tossing scenes that can be expected. David the stagehand is constantly working on something and whether it is something asked of him or something he incorrectly feels needs to be done isn’t always clear which adds to the hilarity of the scenes. In between running around, David will occasionally take a breather and these are the times he is caught ‘loafing again.’ One of the funniest scenes (if not the funniest) has to be when David is carrying a whole mess of chairs on his back and an upright piano in front turning him into some comical porcupine.

“Behind the Screen” is vintage Chaplin in comedy and interspersing a social conscience into his work. In a historical context, the film also gives us a view of what sets were like during the silent era.