Topic: The Immigrant (1917) - Charlie Chaplin

[metaldams]

      THE IMMIGRANT is short number eleven out of twelve Charlie Chaplin made under his Mutual contract and is my my favorite of the group.  The main reasons for it are because visually I think this short looks the best and there are two situations in general that are brilliantly built up.  Chaplin really takes his time building these situations yet makes it riveting to watch the whole time.  Then there is the whole cultural thing.  Yes, it’s fascinating watching a film made in 1917 depicting immigrants coming to America from Ellis Island.  This leads into the first thing I want to talk about - the look of the film.

      Yes, from an art direction perspective, Chaplin and crew did a fantastic job making this boat look like an authentic boat sailing to America.  I’ll even go as far to say you can pause any frame in this film and it will be painting worthy.  Try it.  Some people criticize Chaplin for having too still a camera compared to Keaton and Lloyd and that he doesn’t make real film comedy as a result.  I personally don’t care about that.  When you have art direction and composition of actors and props that look this good, a moving camera is not necessary for Chaplin.  My favorite shots are the immigrants roped off to the right of the screen and any shot where there are a lot of extras in general, be it eating at the dinner table or lying down outside on the ship.  I also really love the rocking boat.  If you watch the UNKNOWN CHAPLIN documentary, there is some device under the floor causing the movement.  It breeds great physical comedy with Chaplin and others being tossed around in the room plus the whole business with the moving dishes on the table.

      The first scene that really impresses me with its build up involves the stolen money the crook takes away from Edna’s mom and how it builds into the card game.  The crook needs that money to try to win back what he already lost to Chaplin.  We get some fun business with Chaplin dealing the cards before he wins the stolen money again.  I won’t give away the details, but watch how everything comes back to Edna and her Mom with the money and how brilliantly there’s a scene where it appears Chaplin is stealing money from an outsider’s perspective, yet gets off the hook.  The way this is all done is extremely clever, I can’t praise it enough.

      The next brilliant scene is Chaplin trying to pay the waiter, played by Eric Campbell.  First thing I want to say is Campbell is imposing and comical in the role and this is arguably his best role - well, there’s EASY STREET too.  OK, best or not, he’s extremely good here.  The whole idea of a comic being threatened and the possible results of the threat being done to someone else before hand has been done a million times, but this to me is the best example.  A man can’t pay his bill and gets beat up by Campbell, a threat that awaits Chaplin because he lost his coin.  All I’m going to say is the punchline is that Chaplin does give the appearance of paying the waiter and it makes it appear Henry Bergman is a cheap tipper.  Hysterical Eric Campbell reactions here.  I give away the punchline because it’s the least important thing, it’s the journey getting to the punchline, with finding the coin and meeting Henry Bergman in the first place, that’s incredible.  Enjoy.  One more thing.  Chaplin meets Edna in the restaurant and sees a wet handkerchief and the fact she’s wearing black.  He gives some gestures showing some sympathy.  That’s all we need to know Edna’s mother from the boat passed away.  Such simple gestures and a beautiful way to make a quick plot point.

      I hope you guys enjoy this one, it really is a very special Charlie Chaplin film.  We only have one more Mutual short to go after this.

[Dr. Mabuse]

Excellent review of my favorite Charlie Chaplin short.  A brilliant weaving of pathos and humor, "The Immigrant" represents the high-water mark of Chaplin’s Mutual period.  By chronicling the plight of two lonely, poverty-stricken immigrants (Charlie and Edna) who are romantically reunited in a cheap restaurant, this two-reel masterwork has a narrative seamlessness that Chaplin never duplicated. Chaplin’s rapport with Purviance adds a poignancy and depth to "The Immigrant" not seen in their other collaborations.  The relationship between their characters reveals an emotional impact conveyed without title cards, such as the moment when Charlie discovers that Edna’s mother has died.  This unique chemistry, sensitively handled by Chaplin, gives the film its soul.

Social commentary comes into play during the ironic scene in which the immigrants are treated like cattle while their ship passes the Statue of Liberty — a portent of the political troubles that would lead to Chaplin’s exile from America in 1952. Nevertheless, "The Immigrant" remains his most humanistic and endearing film. Impossible to dislike.

[metaldams]

I never put two and two together with the immigrants being roped off juxtaposed with The Statue of Liberty, but that’s a good observation.

[Umbrella Sam]

Of all the Mutuals, THE IMMIGRANT probably best represents just how far Chaplin had come in the development of his craft. Long gone is the repetitive Keystone pacing. This short took the drama of THE VAGABOND and successfully paired it with the comedy in a way that no other Mutual short accomplished. Well, OK, maybe EASY STREET, but EASY STREET took it a bit too far. THE IMMIGRANT finds a nice balance that makes it a more pleasant experience.

The first half on the boat really is so fascinating to watch. Just seeing the immigrants looking at the Statue of Liberty is a great sight; watching the Statue go by, you can imagine that’s exactly the image many of them first saw. The relationship between Charlie and Edna is very well set up here; I like the fact that he is completely selfless during these sequences, not only with the money he tries to slip into her pocket, but also the moment where he gives up his seat to her and just leaves. At Keystone and, heck, even some of the earlier Mutual shorts, he would have just shoved Albert Austin to the side and kept spending time with her...but no. Instead he just does a very nice thing and leaves it as is. Austin is great as usual. I love that part with the soup going back and forth between him and Chaplin as the boat moves; there’s a very similar gag in the Bugs Bunny cartoon, HARE WE GO. The part with him and Chaplin holding on to each other trying to stop themselves with getting sick also got a laugh out of me.

From the setting alone, the second half is more in line with the other Mutual shorts than the first half, but it still works. The reunion between the Tramp and Edna is indeed done very well and it leads to a fun situation where the Tramp needs to figure out how to pay for the food. The way Chaplin moves throughout this is great, constantly sneaking around Campbell every opportunity he gets and yet still coming up short until the artist arrives. I remember the first time I saw this thinking how odd it was that an artist just randomly saw these two in a restaurant and somehow just decided these two would be perfect for some painting before even talking to them...but, I don’t know, I guess artists can get inspiration anywhere. It’s something that doesn’t really concern me anymore.

So, yeah, great short and from a pacing perspective, arguably the best Mutual short for Chaplin, even though I think you could argue there are some that are funnier like THE PAWNSHOP. As a whole, though, THE IMMIGRANT is a wonderful short that’s among the essential Chaplin films. If there’s one Chaplin Mutual short to check out, this is the one.

[HomokHarcos]

I like this short because it covers a scenario that many people back then went through: sailing the Atlantic to reach America. The conditions on the boat must have been awful for the immigrants, and as shown from Edna's mom, probably had deaths on the ship. Chaplin himself was an immigrant, although I'm not sure how much of the movie was based on his own experiences.

Usually I think the romances can be quite corny in these movies, but Chaplin having a connection to Edna makes perfect sense. He saw her on the boat, so I can understand why they would feel a connection when they see each other again in the restaurant. I love the scene of him trying to get out of paying the restaurant bill, it's funny seeing Eric Campbell beat people up for not being able to pay, so Chaplin has a very legitimate reason to not miss out on his payment. It's a scenario that I think was also used in Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello comedies.

I agree about the art direction, it's almost as good as Easy Street, just looking at this movies that are over 100 years old is awe inspiring.

[Paul Pain]

As the descendent of ancestors who came to America on boats between the 1890s and 1920s, this one hits a real emotional note with me.  THE IMMIGRANT manages to capture the reality of the desperate struggle face by those who came to America while maintaining a humorous note throughout.  This note of struggle is carried through to the end of the short.

Interesting, all the immigrants are dressed in a distinctively Eastern European style.  Albert Austin is dressed as a stereotypical Russian, and all the ladies have a distinctively Eastern European dress and head scarf.  But, no one has any issues with the language although it doesn't affect the short.  This plays into the atmosphere of the rocking, old boat and the way the people are abused by the crew.

Atmosphere continues to dominate off the boat in the restaurant.  Chaplin is homeless and hungry, and Edna is mourning the death of her mother.  Typically, the women and children would come to America after the father had been here for some months or years, and between my immediate and extended family I have no ancestors, aunts/uncles, or cousins who came here without the father alive, so part of me hopes that Edna is not entirely alone in her strange new world.  The old wooden structure that is the restaurant adds a coldness to the scene, and the musicians serve as a reminder that life goes on even in the dark moments.

The issues that befall Chaplin with the money are just prototypical of his style.  The exchanges that go on between Charlie, the other patron, Edna, and Eric Campbell are classic, and in these moments it's always a treat to watch Edna's facial reactions as she pulls off genuine looks of shock and horror very well.  Charlie could not have done better in picking a way for this coin to be revealed, and the following quartet with the artist instead and Charlie's attempts to get by just make the entire scene better.

The playful exchange in the rain was a perfect way to end this short.  Or, dare I say, this classic?  THE IMMIGRANT is definitely the greatest masterpiece of both atmosphere and story that we have seen in these Mutual shorts, and it really is harder to top this in a tale that also tugs at your heart.  There is no doubt that Chaplin is the superior story teller.

On a side note, check out John Rand.  Worked with Chaplin, Keaton, Arbuckle, and the Three Stooges in his career.  He has quite the résumé!

[metaldams]

Great reviews from everyone here.

….and I knew John Rand from Chaplin.  Never realised he was the duck farmer in A DUCKING THEY DID GO!

https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/82

[HomokHarcos]

Atmosphere continues to dominate off the boat in the restaurant.  Chaplin is homeless and hungry, and Edna is mourning the death of her mother.  Typically, the women and children would come to America after the father had been here for some months or years, and between my immediate and extended family I have no ancestors, aunts/uncles, or cousins who came here without the father alive, so part of me hopes that Edna is not entirely alone in her strange new world.  The old wooden structure that is the restaurant adds a coldness to the scene, and the musicians serve as a reminder that life goes on even in the dark moments.

I know that was the case with my family. My great-great grandfather came to Canada from Hungary a little bit before the rest of the family did. He actually fled for the same reason Bela Lugosi did, I wonder if he knew him! Admittedly there's a very small chance.

[metaldams]

I know that was the case with my family. My great-great grandfather came to Canada from Hungary a little bit before the rest of the family did. He actually fled for the same reason Bela Lugosi did, I wonder if he knew him! Admittedly there's a very small chance.

That would be great if your great great grandpa knew Bela.  You never know.

Seven of my eight great grandparents were born in Europe and came to America.  What Paul says about the fathers coming first is true.  My great grandfather came to America and my great grandmother and great aunt joined him - seventeen years later.    It’s why my grandmother had a sister who could be her mother and a niece who was like a sister.

[HomokHarcos]

That would be great if your great great grandpa knew Bela.  You never know.

Seven of my eight great grandparents were born in Europe and came to America.  What Paul says about the fathers coming first is true.  My great grandfather came to America and my great grandmother and great aunt joined him - seventeen years later.    It’s why my grandmother had a sister who could be her mother and a niece who was like a sister.

Wow, I would have thought they would have moved on from each other 17 years later, I'm surprised they were even able to find each other.

[Freddie Sanborn]

I hate to rain on The Immigrant lovefest, but I always thought the structure was backwards. Reel 1 is epic in nature and Reel 2 is a simple cafe comedy. It is known that Chaplin made the cafe scenes first, and then decided to make a prologue showing where the Tramp and Edna came from.

Shouldn’t the epic portion of the film come last? Maybe the cafe could have been Charlie and Edna’s last meal in the old country before their journey across the sea. Then they have their adventures during the crossing, but lose each other in NYC.

Miserable and rain-soaked, they find one another again in front of the justice of the peace, go in, and get married. The end.

Look at me, second-guessing a genius.

[Umbrella Sam]

I hate to rain on The Immigrant lovefest, but I always thought the structure was backwards. Reel 1 is epic in nature and Reel 2 is a simple cafe comedy. It is known that Chaplin made the cafe scenes first, and then decided to make a prologue showing where the Tramp and Edna came from.

Shouldn’t the epic portion of the film come last? Maybe the cafe could have been Charlie and Edna’s last meal in the old country before their journey across the sea. Then they have their adventures during the crossing, but lose each other in NYC.

Miserable and rain-soaked, they find one another again in front of the justice of the peace, go in, and get married. The end.

Look at me, second-guessing a genius.

I don’t disagree with this train of thought; there definitely feels like there’s something more special about the first reel compared to the second reel, especially considering that THE RINK also takes place at a restaurant. At the same time, though, I think it could be argued that the simplicity of the second half works in the film’s favor. After viewing all the turmoil and sickness these people went through, it’s nice to just have a simple happy ending.

[metaldams]

From a setting point of view, agreed the first reel is more epic and I can understand where you’re coming from.  However, the whole business with paying the waiter is really long lasting and well put together, giving it an epic feel construction wise. So I’m fine with the film the way it is.