Tweet Chaplin Revue

Amazon.co.uk offers a Chaplin Revue, advertising it as "Three classic silent comedies from Charles Chaplin - A Dog's Life (1918), Shoulder Arms (1918) and The Pilgrim (1923) - are here strung together to form a single feature length film with new music, narration and connecting material."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003 ... d_i=468294" target="_blank

Does this mean that the dvd is like the later "Gold Rush" which is ruined (in my opinion) by Chaplin's voice-over? If so, can anyone recommend another (silent) edition of A Dogs Life, Shoulder Arms, The Pilgrim, Sunnyside, A Days Pleasure, The Idle Class and Pay Day?

Thanks

"The Chaplin Revue" is narrated only in the prologue, under nice footage of Los Angeles in 1918 and of building the Chaplin studio. The three films are silent with orchestral music composed by Chaplin except for "The Pilgrim" which also includes Charlie singing a song on the sound track, "Bound for Texas," about "the moo and rattle of snakes and cattle."

However, "A Dog's Life" is stretch printed to the equivalent of 16 fps throughout, there is also selective stretch printing of scenes in the others, and all are the 1940s "reconstructions" made by combining out-takes, perhaps with selected shots from various original negatives, so that the films are somewhat different from the original 1918-1923 versions. There is no alternate source for good legitimate copies of the original versions.

David Shepard

I would highly recommend Mr. Shepard's earlier, complete and speed-corrected editions of these and the rest of the First National shorts found in the First National Collection and The Kid/A Dog's Life DVDs from Image. They're out of print, but very much worth tracking down on Amazon or EBay. You'll also want to pick up the Image DVDs of MODERN TIMES and A WOMAN OF PARIS/A KING IN NEW YORK, as these are missing crucial footage in later DVD/Blu-Ray editions. This Chaplin fan is extremely grateful to Mr. Shepard and his team for getting the unbowdlerized versions out there for us.

The song was sung by Matt Munro.

The song was sung by Matt Munro.

Its definitely worth it as a dvd, but i think park circus are pretty naughty at what they have done with the releasing of Chaplin's films. They have just released a box set without finishing releasing his features individually and now his last three films wont be released this way at all. Only way you will get them is in the set! To top it off the set is cheaper than buying them on their own.....the rotters!

I have to say that I recently dug out "Shoulder Arms" from the Chaplin Revue so that I could see it again for research purposes. It's far from my favourite Chaplin - it has nice moments, for sure, but seems dragged out somewhat.

What is with the short sections that are almost in slow motion for some reason? Why isn't the frame rate consistent throughout? This is the UK release on DVD from a few years ago now. It's the one entry in that whole collection which seems to be a bit of a mess (no offence intended to anyone who contributed to it who might attend the forum). However, the other discs in the series are so well done, it seems such a shame that the shorts on this entry are given what seems to be a less than stellar treatment, and without any explanations in the packaging etc for the deficiencies.

I have to say that I recently dug out "Shoulder Arms" from the Chaplin Revue so that I could see it again for research purposes. It's far from my favourite Chaplin - it has nice moments, for sure, but seems dragged out somewhat.

What is with the short sections that are almost in slow motion for some reason? Why isn't the frame rate consistent throughout? This is the UK release on DVD from a few years ago now. It's the one entry in that whole collection which seems to be a bit of a mess (no offence intended to anyone who contributed to it who might attend the forum). However, the other discs in the series are so well done, it seems such a shame that the shorts on this entry are given what seems to be a less than stellar treatment, and without any explanations in the packaging etc for the deficiencies.

I haven't seen the UK release, but what you are describing could be the stretch printing that Mr. Shepard was describing above. Basically Chaplin himself did this to the film. To make the film sound speed, he doubled every other frame in some places which slows the pace down dramatically. Chaplin did this for the three shorts in the Chaplin Revue plus a few others, The Idle Class for sure, can't remember which others.

Oh dear. That makes it even worse! Charlie obviously had an off day when he came up with that one

Do these shorts not survive in their original state?

Chaplin forgot or didn't wish to engane a tireying work restoring the originals, similar to when he edited The Gold Rush as a sound narrated film, in the 40's.

But the original Gold Rush, silent version, was restored by Photoplay and use reasonable good footage, and have the famous kiss in the finale.

Be aware that there are egregious cuts in the MK-2 version of THE CHAPLIN REVUE. Neither A DOG'S LIFE, or SHOULDER ARMS are as truncated in my old Playhouse Video VHS of THE CHAPLIN REVUE. For instance we do not see where Henry Bergman get's stuck in the tunnel because he is to fat. The soldiers struggle to get him out and one with an Axe, comes and chips away a chunk of the tunnel. He keeps swinging and accidentally strikes the now freed officer on the top of his helmet, and get's a slap for his trouble. The scene is very funny, because it has built up to this point. We also do not see the where Charlie drys the eyes of scraps in A DOG'S LIFE, believing he has shed tears over the "The Old Sag Song" Edna's been singing. Actually water from a streaming seltzer bottle. The audience is led to believe that Charlie is inclined to think he's shed something else. When he drys the Pooch's eyes, it is the perfect touch. MK-2 ruined the Chaplin Revue in my opinion. I have no idea why these additional cuts where made. The flow of the both films is compromised. I sure hope that Criterion will put the footage back in.

Forget THE CHAPLIN REVUE and hunt down the old Image DVDs produced by David Shepard that I mentioned earlier. It's the only way to go. Uncut, correct projection speeds and no stretch-printing.

Also you if you look around hard enough you can occasionally find the original release versions of A DOG'S LIFE and SHOULDER ARMS which Pathe reissued in the mid-1920s. These are bootlegged dupes, possibly copied from 16mm Kodascopes. The comedy business is generally funnier and the sequences pack more punch to them than their counterparts in THE CHAPLIN REVUE. Also of course none of the footage is stretch-printed. Because of the age of the prints and Chaplin's popularity, original or close to original 16mm prints of these are generally well worn.

[silentfilm]

I've got a 16mm Shoulder Arms print that is in excellent condition. Unfortunately it's a dupe and the pre-print was very worn, so it looks kind of muddy.

I've got a 16mm Shoulder Arms print that is in excellent condition. Unfortunately it's a dupe and the pre-print was very worn, so it looks kind of muddy.

It may be a dupe, but at least you have it Bruce and you know how much better SHOULDER ARMS should be!

I never enjoyed Chaplin's reissue of THE IDLE CLASS with its lugubrious stretch printing through the entire film. But when I got a dupe of the original version, the short suddenly came to life, I'd rank it with the best Mutuals. The whole business with absentminded Charlie walking around in public without his trousers required split second timing. In the stretched version a classic scene comes across looking like something Adam Sandler might do, if he tried to attempt sight gags. Whatever Chaplin was thinking when he allowed the stretching, he had to finally realize that it was ruining the comedy tempo.

An original tinted Pathe 16mm print of SHOULDER ARMS from the 1920s is on eBay:

For some reason I couldn't get the link to direct me to the listing (it kept sending me to amazon.co.uk) but if you go to eBay and run a search for "16mm Chaplin," you should find it easily.

It will be slightly trimmed (to two reels), and it is also clearly advertised as having vinegar syndrome; however, it looks like beautiful quality and of course it will be made from the prime takes of the action.

I'm not the seller nor will I be a bidder but I have done business with this seller and can vouch for his integrity.

No doubt opportunities will suggest themselves.

David Shepard

An original tinted Pathe 16mm print of SHOULDER ARMS from the 1920s is on eBay:

For some reason I couldn't get the link to direct me to the listing (it kept sending me to amazon.co.uk) but if you go to eBay and run a search for "16mm Chaplin," you should find it easily.

It will be slightly trimmed (to two reels), and it is also clearly advertised as having vinegar syndrome; however, it looks like beautiful quality and of course it will be made from the prime takes of the action.

I'm not the seller nor will I be a bidder but I have done business with this seller and can vouch for his integrity.

No doubt opportunities will suggest themselves.

David Shepard

Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/16mm-FILM-CHARL ... 4ab3eafb13" target="_blank

Also, it's listed as being on two 400' reels... and unless I'm mistaken, doesn't each 16mm reel of that size hold 20 minutes of film? If so, this may be the complete three-reeler. The photo shows one full reel and one about 2/3 full.

Michael

Forget THE CHAPLIN REVUE and hunt down the old Image DVDs produced by David Shepard that I mentioned earlier. It's the only way to go. Uncut, correct projection speeds and no stretch-printing.

I have them both and I can vouch for the quality (though of course that means that Chaplin's music is out of sync with the action; you can't have everything) and until they use these prints the Image DVDs will always be superior. Of course, this means that they usually cost an astronomical price, unless you get really really lucky on an ebay auction no one notices but you.

You CAN get the Kid one relatively cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/Kid-Dogs-Life-Cha ... 300&sr=1-2

But be prepared to fork it over for the one with the other six First National shorts:

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Chaplin-F ... 289&sr=1-2

[Christopher Jacobs]

Also, it's listed as being on two 400' reels... and unless I'm mistaken, doesn't each 16mm reel of that size hold 20 minutes of film? If so, this may be the complete three-reeler. The photo shows one full reel and one about 2/3 full.

Michael

A 400-foot reel of 16mm film (equivalent to one 1000-foot reel of 35mm) will run about 9 to 11 minutes at 24 fps (a 400-foot reel of 8mm or an 800-foot reel of 16mm film would be 18-22 minutes). One and 2/3 400-foot reels of 16mm would likely run about 18 minutes, or perhaps 25 minutes or so at 16 or 18 fps.

Another, albeit very brief bit I mean to recall was absent in the "Revue"-version of SHOULDER ARMS was the first sight of Edna, exhausted in the vandalized house still before Charlie enters, introduced by a title card saying "Poor France" (or something like it).