The Immigrant (1917)
If I had to, I’d guess this was the very first Chaplin short I ever saw–way back when I was a little kid and only slightly bigger than Charlie Chaplin. As a kid, I think I could identify with him because he was a little fellow, an underdog. Here, he’s playing another traditional underdog character–an immigrant.
This short is top-heavy with all the funniest bits–the fish, the hiccups, the wildly-rocking boat–all happening in the first half. If it maintained that level of greatness throughout, this would be the first Chaplin I’d expose other people to. It’s not that the second half isn’t worth watching, but this is definitely a case of a movie shooting its wad too early.
One of my favorite things I like about Chaplin is watching his characters fall in love. It’s old-fashioned, trite, and whatever other adjective you want to throw at it, and if one actually acted like Chaplin does when he experiences love at first sight, he’d likely be arrested, but they are some of my favorite movie moments ever.
