Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews
Behind the Screen (1916) - Charlie Chaplin
metaldams:
We continue onward with out Chaplin Mutual journey with the seventh entry into the series, BEHIND THE SCREEN. The title pretty much says it all as we get to see Chaplin as a prop man for a movie set and Eric Campbell as his boss. One of the better teamings between the two, in my opinion. In the beginning of the short, Chaplin does all the hard work while Campbell sits there lazily. The dynamic is played a bit more ironically in that whenever Chaplin finally gets a moment of rest and Campbell finally gets up to do something, that’s when the big boss comes to comment on how lazy Chaplin is! Of course, Chaplin is doing hard work.
The hard work Chaplin does involves, very much like in THE PAWNSHOP, more comic props. The way Chaplin wraps the chairs around himself is both awe inspiring and a great sight gag. It’s a bit hard to explain in words, but he takes these chairs one by one and piles them in a way on his back where there is this gigantic circle of chairs that overtakes his entire body. Another great prop bit is the column for the ancient times scene he lugs around. Another prop, due to it’s size, that overtakes his body. This column manages to hit several people who pass by, roll around and spin on the ground and crush people in a comic manner. Again quite a spectacle and very funny.
Another highlight of the short is pie fight that takes place in the end. Even if Chaplin is doing all the work at the beginning, it’s Eric Campbell who takes all the pies and physical punishment towards the end. That was another thing similar to THE PAWNSHOP, Chaplin’s avoidance of physical punishment in the slapstick department. He gets behind the table and ducks those pies like a Jedi master, ducks every punch and gets away unscathed. As far as the pies themselves, I tend to notice they look much gooier than a typical Stooge pie fight. There’s also much more attention to long shots, messy rooms and spectacle while a Stooge pie fight is more close ups and based on the actor’s reactions.
One other bit I want to bring up is Chaplin taking bites off that leg of lamb, or whatever it is. After he finally gets caught by his co-worker, he makes these funny faces and then proceeds to beg like a dog for the food. That got a laugh out of me. He then takes some bones and plays drums on some food tins on the ground like he’s John Bonham. A great sense of fun are in these films at this point yet they feel like mature comedies. The social stuff will be coming soon. We do get a union set up here similar to that in the Keystone short DOUGH AND DYNAMITE but beyond that, pure comedy here. Another fun short.
Dr. Mabuse:
A lack of pretentiousness emerges as an underlying thread throughout the Mutual period. "Behind the Screen" represents another throwback to Chaplin's days at Keystone and it's far superior to "The Fireman." The film also includes one of the most notable references to homosexuality in early cinema. When stagehand Campbell catches Charlie kissing Edna (disguised as a boy), his bullying character reacts in a stereotypical gay manner — a surprising transformation even by today’s standards.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but Chaplin plays a cop at the 19:25 mark during the pie-fight scene.
metaldams:
--- Quote from: Dr. Mabuse on March 22, 2022, 07:52:19 PM ---A lack of pretentiousness emerges as an underlying thread throughout the Chaplin Mutual period. "Behind the Screen" represents another throwback to Chaplin's days at Keystone and it's far superior to "The Fireman." The film also includes one of the most notable references to homosexuality in early cinema. When stagehand Campbell catches Charlie kissing Edna (disguised as a boy), his bullying character reacts in a stereotypical gay manner — a surprising transformation even by today’s standards.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but Chaplin plays a cop at the 19:25 mark during the pie-fight scene.
--- End quote ---
Great observation about the homosexual bit. Another example of this, probably even more shocking for the time it was made, can be found in the Chaplin Essanay short SHANGHAIED.
Never thought the cop was Chaplin but now that I took an extra glance, I could see that being him!
I also forgot to mention the trap door in my review, another wonderful prop that got extra mileage.
Paul Pain:
And here I thought the cop looked like Snub Pollard!
My goodness, this was a slam bang short start to finish. Chaplin shows a ton of energy here, yet the comedy shows those touches are undoubtedly his. It shows that Chaplin merely preferred his social-class commentaries and focused on making those masterpieces as opposed to making the wide variety of films that he does make.
There really isn't much I can add except I got huge laughs out of Chaplin moving the chairs and piano and out of every scene with Edna Purviance dressed as a stage-hand. Chaplin tortures everyone here: multiple film directors, his boss, the other stage hands, a camera operator, and a ton of actors. The total cast count of this one may be the largest yet in any of these Mutual shorts.
No complaints here whatsoever.
HomokHarcos:
My favorite parts of this short were gags that were milked out. I'm surprised how much he got out of the leaning tower bit. Probably the funniest part for me was when Chaplin was trying to close the trap door and Eric Campbell's neck was getting crushed in it. They keep telling him the close the door, and he tries as hard as he can. This also has one of the better roles for Edna Purviance, sneaking into the studio to get a job.
Knowing that Chaplin would later be treated as a far-left communist by the 1950s and basically forced into exile, in this film it feels like the strikers are clearly supposed to be the bad guys and the butt of the joke.
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