Chaplin's Mutual Comedies 1916-1917

Charlie Chaplin called his 18 months at Mutual Film Corporation “the happiest period of my life.” The 12 two-reel comedies collected here remain his finest achievements: wonderful slapstick ballets of distilled comic genius. Settling his Little Tramp persona into its final form—equal parts class clown, sneaky bully, downtrodden social outcast, and sentimental softy—Chaplin spins these 25-minute masterpieces from little more than a character, a setting, and a situation, as in two of his earliest films for the studio, both from 1916: The Floorwalker, built around a new escalator, and One A.M., a solo piece with Chaplin as an inebriated gadfly battling everything from a staircase to the furniture while trying to get to bed. The rest of the shorts also feature burly, barrel-chested Eric Campbell (Chaplin's hulking physical opposite), and sweet-faced love interest and talented comedienne Edna Purviance. Although every one of the shorts is great, a few stand out: The Rink (1916), featuring Chaplin on roller skates for a burlesque ballet on wheels; Easy Street (1917), with Chaplin as a rookie cop in the city's toughest neighborhood in a story that combines social commentary with comedy; and The Immigrant (1917), which opens with peasants herded like cattle on a ship and employs humor to explore their trying experience. These are essentials of both silent cinema and cinematic comedy, ranking among the few works that transcend the era and still appeal to all ages. Completing the compilation are The Fireman, The Vagabond, The Count, The Pawnshop, and Behind the Screen, all from 1916; plus The Cure and The Adventurer, from 1917. Each short in this Blu-ray/DVD Combo release is newly remastered from archival 35mm elements, and the set also includes bonus documentaries on Chaplin and Campbell, as well as a booklet with an essay and notes on the films. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)