Chaplin's "The Tramp"

2008-04-02 13:28:49

“The Tramp” (1915, Chaplin)

“The Tramp” is a memorable film in the Chaplin canon. It establishes a greater focus on the meandering hobo character that Chaplin had played many times in the forty films before this one. However, going forward, this tramp/hobo would now be the essential trademark character. Chaplin’s hobo couldn’t be the part-time thug full time thief he had been in some of those earlier incarnations of the tramp. Here he is now defending some woman somewhere rural and he doesn’t even know her. The tramp takes on three thugs and defeats them time and again. This tramp would be the good hobo employing skills honed from his past experience on the dark side of hobo life.

This was Chaplin 26th time directing and sixth film for Essanay in 1915. The scenes are better acted and executed this year around. There’s less of the frantic-ness, although still plenty of it, and more buildup and deliberateness in this film. Chaplin is still the kind of guy who likes to jab other people in the ass with pitchforks but this time he’s joking! Haha! For all you folks who grew up watching Looney Tunes and other assorted Saturday morning cartoons, “The Tramp” is a great exhibition of where all the physical antics originated.

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