Seven Chances (1925)

We've seen a derivative of this story many times before but thanks to Buster Keaton, Seven Chances has a lot of marvelous comedic moments created by his wonderful physical ability.

The story goes something like this: Boy meets girl and he loves her but never makes his move. Now he has the chance at $7 million if he gets married before his 27th birthday. But that's today so all he has to do is marry his sweetheart Mary. It sounds so easy until he complicates the whole situation with muddled words and misunderstandings.

Now he only has a matter of time to find another bride. His law partner puts down a line of candidates and he strikes out each time earning a face full of laughs in reply. Even the secretary and coat attendant turn him down his pitiful plea.

He drives off desperate for a bride and his buddies put an ad in the paper sure to grab him a wife. Jimmy waits patiently at the church, but there's a problem. Hundreds of women show up and soon turn into a mob bent on clobbering him for making fools of them.

Then and there begins one of the grandest, most epic and extraordinary chase scenes of all time. Forget Bullitt or The French Connection, this is the seminal chase scene. It's mind boggling to think how many extras they used and all dressed in drag no less. It is difficult not to marvel at Keaton's physical prowess because that is where he tops Chaplin. He's fantastic at scampering about, sliding around and making pitfalls in general, given the right environment. Soon the world becomes his playground with coattails flying and droves of angry women hot on his heels.

He hitches a ride on the spare tire of a car, dangles from a crane, does frantic Australian crawl across a pond, rides a falling tree and of course dodges an avalanche of fake looking boulders. All I can say is Keaton could have been a professional dodge ball player but we can be thankful he stayed with film. He was pretty decent at comedy too.

Needless to say Jimmy gets back in the nick of time or did he? Of course he did! It seems like he's the only one who cannot plant a kiss on the bride. At least he has one now and Mary is far more important than the money. That's all that really matters.

Chaplin was great because his Tramp had so much expression. The Great Stone Face was great for the exact opposite reason; he lacked it. His nervous fidgeting or obvious dismay in all situations heightens the comedy making the laughs even more hilarious.

His two buddies are a comical pair in their own right with their differing heights and good-natured blunders. They get caught up in Jimmy's unfortunate predicament and get knocked about a bit as well.

Keaton may have had greater films, but in his golden age during the 1920s, he could hardly do any wrong. Seven Chance has one of the greatest sustained comedy sequences  of any of his films and it does showcase his skills. He gave Chaplin a run for his money, literally.

4.5/5 Stars

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Directed by F.W. Murnau, this silent film follows the lives of a man and his wife. A woman from the city meets the man and suggests that he drown his wife and sell his farm so they can be together. Then, the man takes his innocent wife out on the lake with evil intentions. He is about to go through with it but ultimately cannot. The wife flees and they take a trolley to the city. The man asks for her forgiveness and they walk through the city finally reconciled. Over the day they get their picture taken, go in a barber shop, and have fun at an amusement park. They travel back home by boat and then a massive storm hits. The man searches for his wife to no avail and then he encounters the exuberant city woman. In his anger he begins to choke her but his wife is still alive! He rushes to her bedside and they kiss. This film is wonderfully complex and artistic for a film without any talking. Unlike Chaplin or Keaton this is a great dramatic silent film that does not utilize slapstick comedy and yet it still finds ways to be funny.

I had forgotten how funny this film is in parts and it nicely complements the very memorable love story. Visually this film is extraordinary with its multitude of landscape and city scenes that often overlap and are superimposed on one another. In this aspect it reminds me of the experimental visuals of Keaton's Sherlock Jr. However, this film is very atmospheric and more emotion filled than the other film. Furthermore, despite the lack of real dialogue, it is almost a misnomer to call this movie "silent." It most certainly features sound which often dominates certain sequences and adds a great deal of feeling to the romance and cityscape. Sometimes it is the chime of bells, the honking of horns, intense background music, or just lively street chatter. Despite the general story of redemptive love that dominates Sunrise, there are also some charming asides during the visit to the city. Each and every stop has a surprise whether it is a suitor in the barbershop, the couple posing for the camera, the slipping of a strap on a lady's dress, or a drunken pig on the loose at the carnival. Ultimately, the film reverts back to this song of two humans and the temptation of the city and that type of woman loses its luster in comparison to nature's sunrise and the innocent wife. It is a wonderful allegory and Murnau skillfully develops the cinematic space in unconventional and interesting ways.

5/5 Stars

The General (1926)

This silent film starring the great Buster Keaton, tells a simple story with comical results. Keaton is Johnnie Gray, a Southern engineer who loves his locomotive and his girl. As it turns out Union spies steal his train, The General, and they also take his love captive. Now Johnnie must track them down and save his fair southern belle. After many a comedic antic, Keaton finds himself behind enemy lines and he is now on the run. However, he does eventually get the girl and then warns the Confederates that the Union forces are coming. Because of his great bravery, he is rewarded with the rank of Lieutenant even though he was not enlisted. Although this film might seem slow to the modern audience, if put in context the, the bouncy score, the slapstick comedy, and Keaton can all be enjoyable. "The Great Stone Face" was one of the few who gave Chaplin a run for his money.

                            4/5 Stars

Keaton and Lloyd

I have been well acquainted with the films of Charlie Chaplin which always seem to couple romance and comedy so nicely with the character of the Tramp.

However, I had seen very little of Buster Keaton and I had only heard of the name Harold Lloyd. Recently I have finally had the pleasure of taking in more of their work and I must say I have a new appreciation for them. With their respective films it is understandable how they were able to give Chaplin a run for his money. Keaton always appears as a solemn figure whether he is a Confederate soldier, a detective, and so on. He does not try and win our sympathy or affection but he is always determined to take on whatever his world throws at him. His various hilarious and often life-threatening antics cause us to cheer for his characters and in turn we also grow to respect Keaton for his talent as an actor and a director. (Recently I have been able to see Sherlock Jr., Steamboat Bill Jr., and Our Hospitality).

Then, there is Harold Lloyd, the number three man of the silent era comedians. Lloyd had his own persona that he developed to perfection. He was the nerdish fellow who always wore the same pair of glasses and the same hat. He makes us laugh because of his naivete and various antics including scaling a building only to dangle from a clock (Lloyd actually only had eight fingers to accomplish this feat because of an accident). This  causes us to empathize with him much like we would with Chaplin, but their styles could never be confused with each other. (I was able to watch Safety Last! and The Freshman).

That is the beauty of these three men because each one created his own legend and so each one is an icon in his own right. People might fight over who is the best of the group, but really there is no comparison since they all went in different directions. Although these films may be an acquired taste, I hope to be able to watch more in the future sometime!

City Lights (1931)

In this Charlie Chaplin film we follow the Tramp as he romances a blind flower girl and is befriended by a crazy millionaire. In line with all the great Chaplin silent films, this one has many comedic moments but also sentimentality. In one scene the Tramp might find himself dragged along with the millionaire or fighting in a boxing match. However, the next sequence he might be sharing a very nice moment with the girl who only knows him by his voice and kind deeds. Fittingly, in the final moments of the film, the flower girl who can now see is reunited with the humble tramp who showed her so much kindness. Overall this was a very good film and it seemed to have a wonderful balance of humor and romance. It proves that sound is not always needed if you are a good storyteller.

5/5 Stars

Other Chaplin films I may watch in the future include The Kid (1921), The Circus (1928), and The Great Dictator (1941)

The Gold Rush (1925)

In this Charlie Chaplin flick we follow the little man or the Tramp as he prospects for gold in the Yukon. All alone and cold he stumbles upon a cabin where a corrupt man lives. However, the weather wreaks havoc and the Tramp finds himself eventually left with a fellow prospector. After a time the two friends split up. In the city the little man finds love while his former partner meets up with trouble on the road. Eventually they  do reunite, strike it rich, and become millionaires. Along the way there are many characteristic Charlie Chaplin antics. It is extraordinary, because for a film that is not a "talkie," The Gold Rush is surprisingly complex with humor, drama, and romance. If you take into consideration the era of this film, it is very good.

4.5/5 Stars

 Charlie Chaplin will be continued in the next review...

Modern Times (1936)

Arguably the first great superstar of film, Charlie Chaplin was the man known simply as the Tramp in his silent movies. For this reason Modern Times seems like the perfect bridge between the early silent era and the age of talkies starting in the late 1920s. Chaplin had many successes earlier including The Gold Rush (1926) and City Lights (1931). However people wanted to hear talking and soon enough everyone would have to make the transition or else die out. Because of Chaplin's popularity he was able to make one last great silent picture. From that point on however it got a lot louder in theaters.

In this film the iconic Tramp character finds himself up against modern technology and the Great Depression. The whole movie seems to be critiquing factories, the police, the economy, and even modern film by using little actual dialogue. With that being said, this is a great film which exhibits everything that made Chaplin famous. He still has that walk, that mustache, and new hilarious antics to accompany everything else. Yet again there is a love story, between a tramp and a beautiful homeless girl played by Paulette Goddard (Only in the movies). Despite all the hardships they face this resilient pair amazingly still have hope. Fittingly, in the end the two lovebirds walk off into the background, seeming to bring the end of the Chaplin era, but also leaving us with a feeling of hope for the future.

5/5 Stars