- Director: Charlie Chaplin
- Genre: Comedy/Drama
- Why Watch It: This is a 24-minute glimpse of a master entertainer before his peak, with his signature blend of comedy and social commentary.
- Uniqueness: Chaplin on screen more than 100 years ago doing what he was known for.
- You can watch the full film here, or it’s also currently playing on HBO in slightly better quality.
The Immigrant—A brief character study.
We would agree if you called Chaplin’s The Immigrant (1917) a slapstick comedy, but the tramp is far from a flat character. In this 24-minute film, he expresses at least eight personas.
As a clown, he flourishes in the hellish environment of a swaying, overcrowded ship with scarce rations for the passengers to survive.
As a sincere gentleman, he offers up his seat to a woman.
Next, a risk-taking gambler makes money, but a bully tries to rob him—the tramp pulls out a gun and keeps his winnings.
In awe of finally seeing the American shoreline, he becomes one of the crowd, another immigrant seeking a better life.
A homeless broke, hungry tramp wanders the streets and happens upon a coin.
Later, he spots the woman in a restaurant, and things look up. She is alone, saddened by the loss of her mother, and the tramp becomes the comforter.
A worrier, stressed tramp appears when he realizes he lost the coin and sees a patron beaten for being short on his bill.
Finally, the loving, romantic tramp marries the girl.
Silent films are pure cinema because they rely on visual storytelling. The tramp finds himself in various situations like we do in real life. These situations give rise to personas that develop differently depending on what happens in the scene.
Chaplin’s masterful selection of scenes in The Immigrant causes the audience to participate in the narrative, filling in the blanks to complete the story. You can watch it for free here.