Baxter Martin on 13 November at 22:36

“The Vagabond” (1916, Chaplin)

Chaplin was clearly a famous physical comedian at this point in his career in this young artistic medium of film. However, in the majority of his earlier films, he is his signature character, The Tramp, or just some buffoon. In the former, he garners more sympathy than not towards his character, but mostly only by goading others into altercation and proving he is the better man (with the ‘reward’ usually being the ‘lady’ of the film). In the latter, Chaplin is almost always some jerk that starts up a whole heap of funny trouble, and is usually appears a bit tipsy. Either way he’s a trouble-maker, be it through sheer naiveté, or arrogance.
“The Vagabond” surely has comedic moments but Chaplin’s character is clearly the hero of the film. The film starts with Chaplin playing the violin on a street corner for spare change. He finishes after a louder, happier sounding band starts up on the opposite side of the street. Chaplin walks into the nearest bar to take collections for his playing. The patrons all think they’re giving to somebody from the band playing outside and all give a bit. In a few moments, the band and the patrons think they’ve been swindled and chase Chaplin. Poor guy, honest mistake. And he manages a few free booze shots in all the running in circles.

Chaplin goes on to free a girl enslaved by roving gypsies, who worked her and whipped her. She then falls for an artist that his smitten with her. This all during a series of cute vignettes with Chaplin attending to their base camp and getting things for and cooking a meal, setting up place settings for two (on a shirt that he cleverly rolls up the sleeves to resemble napkins). When a big car shows up with the long-lost girl’s very wealthy parents and the artist who helped to find her, Chaplin is offered a wad of cash for his role in helping their daughter. Chaplin affirms his grasp on this most sympathetic character of his by pushing the hand full of money aside in order to take an heir of paternal grace and hugs the girl, saying “Goodbye little girl.”

“The Vagabond” isn’t a great film, but it’s a great turn for Chaplin to show a character who is a really good dude and not some dick looking to start a whole mess of ass-kicking. Don’t get me wrong, the dick can be really, really funny, but “The Vagabond” is charming.