Chaplin's 'Mabel's Married Life'

2007-02-14 00:07:39

Mabel’s Married Life (1914, USA, Chaplin)

Mr. Chaplin takes a beating in Mabel’s Married Life, the 19th short film from Charlie Chaplin. His character goes between a bar where he is harassed by bullies and trying to hit on a girl. He has an opponent who also wants the young girl’s attention, who Chaplin noticed, has a wife sitting dozens of feet away on the other side of the wall. He proceeds with ruining the other guy’s plans and then walks away from the girl. Back to the bar where he is being harassed by everyone and the bartender. He manages to get smashed and wander back into an apartment where he has a drunken adventure with a life-sized dummy that bounces back up when hit, but he wins in the end.

Chaplin’s character here is a sympathetic one. He is the little guy trying to get a girl and trying to drink and he gets hassled wherever he goes. Guys are flicking his tie out of his vest as he tries to drink. A man at least eighteen inches taller whacks his top hat with a tennis racket. Give the guy a break! He is the funny drunk / loveable loser whose facial expressions may be the best of the physical comedy in this one.

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