This film starts with a man-hunt, where the police are hunting for an escaped convict (Charlie Chaplin) who has cleverly eluded the guards so far. One police officer (Henry Bergman) is told to guard the beach in case the escaped felon came within sight again. However, unbeknownst to the officer, Charlie is actually buried under sand next to the officer.
Fully aware of the danger, he is very cautious regarding his escape. He unburies himself very cautiously, however, Bergman is asleep, and he falls back on the hole which Charlie created while un-burying himself. Of course, Charlie makes a run, but it is too late.
The officer fires, missing Charlie by an inch. Charlie hurriedly climbs up a vertical wall of mud and stone, and the officer chases after him. Charlie, however, finishes Bergman off by throwing a rock at him. In vain, he shoots, but it misses Charlie's head by a mile.
A few seconds later, however, it seems Charlie is finished when a policeman stealthily creeps up to him. He steps on his hand, presumably to not let him escape, presumably as a reminder that his time is up. However, Charlie thinks it's a stray stone and covers it with mud. When he looks up and sees the officer, however, the chase resumes, and the Tramp eludes the officer. Charlie runs, into a group of officers.
Charlie runs all the way up to the top of the dusty cliff. Just when it seems like Charlie is free, another officer leaps in out of nowhere and shoots Charlie. However, the shot missed its mark, and Charlie, feigning death, fools the officer successfully. In the middle of the check-up to make sure the convict was dead, Charlie kicks him down the hill.
He takes the officer's hiding place (a disguised hole in the rock) while Bergman and his companion come to that same spot looking for Charlie. Charlie sees them and makes a stealthy escape—however, not stealthy enough to alert them at the last moment.
Charlie comes through to the other end of the hole, grabs a police officer's gun, and uses this to threaten the police. Meanwhile, he tiptoes backwards, trips against a stray rock, and accidentally fires at Bergman. The shot was not fatal, but irritates him.
Helpless, Charlie swims towards the deep seas. The policemen chase him in a boat. Of course, they are unprepared for the high tide, and a huge wave knocks them over. Charlie swims over towards a boat where a man is desperately trying to take off his wet shirt.
The scene cuts towards a girl and her lover (Edna Purviance and Eric Campbell). They realize Edna's mother (Marta Golden) is drowning. They go over to help her. Edna begs Campbell to help, but he refuses because of his weight. She jumps in, while Campbell leans against the fence and hawks at her. However, this man's weight causes him to fall in the water.
Hearing the chaos ensuing between Campbell, Edna and her mother, Charlie, who had just found some dry land, decides to investigate. He jumps back into the water and swims over to where he thinks the chaos is taking place. He finds Edna on the shore, frantic, and Edna, seeing Charlie, begs him to save her mother. Charlie saves Edna first, then her mother, then swims towards Campbell and swims circles around him. Finally, he uses his beard to pull himself back to shore.
He then rescues everybody else. The authorities arrive, and Edna's unconscious mother is the first to go into the ambulance. However, she soon gains her consciousness, and Charlie lies to her, and before heading back to rescue Campbell, in the process unintentionally tossing him back into the water. He goes back and rescues Campbell. However, in the process, Charlie hurts himself and lies down on the shore, helpless and unable to walk. However, a policeman saw him, called Edna, and rescues the injured Charlie.
Charlie now wakes up in the house of Edna, the woman he now loves. However, him wearing his striped pajamas, and lying in a bed with bars at the head, makes him think he is in prison, which is cleared when the butler enters with a towel. Edna and Charlie go to the balcony to socialize, where Charlie accidentally kicks Campbell. Campbell thinks it is intentional, however, and kicks him back. They go on kicking each other for a while, till a lady intervenes between Charlie and Campbell. Since Campbell and Charlie had their backs to each other, Campbell couldn't see the lady intervening. Therefore, he kicks her buttock, thinking it's Charlie's he's kicked. He gets embarrassed by his blunder, and the others are bothered by it.
Inside, while Edna plays the piano, Campbell tries getting revenge but to no avail. Charlie sloshes a whole lot of beer on him, and he retreats. However, when he does, he sees Charlie's face on the newspaper, under the headline "Criminal Escapes: Convict Still at Large".
Of course, this was a good way of getting revenge. Therefore, when Charlie talks away with Edna's father, who was Judge Brown, the man who sentenced him to prison, Charlie is scared. But he acts calm, going under the alias "Commodore Slick". However, at the worst possible moment, Campbell barges in, shoves Charlie out and tells Judge Brown to come look at the newspaper. When Charlie comes across the headline, he is scared stiff and nervous. As a last resort, he takes out his pen and draws a beard, so (hopefully) Judge Brown thinks Campbell is the convict.
Of course, Brown falls for the trap. When a determined Campbell stalks in with the judge, he grabs the paper and shows it to Brown. Of course, Brown thinks that this man has got it wrong, and shows it to Charlie. Charlie looks at the paper, and looks back at Bergman.
He talks to everybody inside, trying to blend in after that near brush with Judge Brown. He talks to everybody, including Edna, and then decides to go to the kitchen with Edna.
But in the kitchen, the cook is giving a meal to her policeman friend, so when the knock sounds, the policeman hurriedly goes towards the closet. Charlie and Edna enter just as she is closing the door, so Charlie is curious. He opens the closet, sees the policeman and, in an instant, closes the door and darts out of the room.
What follows is a nerve-wracking chase with some slapstick overtures. Several times, Charlie comes close to getting caught. Several times, he survives by the skin of his teeth. And, in the end, one police officer corners him. It looks like the end, like Charlie will finally be apprehended—until Charlie outwits him. He introduces the policeman and Edna, and when the policeman is taking his police hat off, Charlie breaks away from his grasp and runs away, the police chasing him.
Chaplin broadened the scope of his comedic delivery considerably during his time with Mutual, and this picture is another wherein he made bold choices that departed from the old format of his films. This was acknowledged by a reviewer from The Moving Picture World that began with the byline: "Latest Mutual-Chaplin Comedy Moves Upward in Grade But Loses None of Comedian's Usual Amount of Laughs." He continued: "There is very little of the old slapstick, custard pie type of comedy used in this picture, but the comedian has introduced a generous share of sure-fire comedy business, and he still retains his unmatchable ability to plant a swift kick at any and all times where it will do the most good and the least harm."[1]
A re-release of the film inspired this enthusiastic review in the August 16, 1920 New York Times. This was written during a period in which Chaplin's film output was practically nonexistent.
"On the Rivoli program, and also at the Rialto, is a Chaplin revival. The Adventurer, which makes one wish, between laughs, that the screen's best comedian would get to work and do what everyone knows he is capable of. There is a slap-stick coarse humor in The Adventurer, but also some of Chaplin's most irresistible pantomime."[2]
Sound version
In 1932, Amedee Van Beuren of Van Beuren Studios, purchased Chaplin's Mutual comedies for $10,000 each, added music by Gene Rodemich and Winston Sharples and sound effects, and re-released them through RKO Radio Pictures. Chaplin had no legal recourse to stop the RKO release.[3]
The Immigrant is a 1917 American silent romantic comedy short written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film stars Chaplin's Tramp character as an immigrant coming to the United States who is accused of theft on the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and falls in love with a beautiful young woman along the way. It also stars Edna Purviance and Eric Campbell.
Behind the Screen is a 1916 American silent short comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, and also starring Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance. The film is in the public domain.
The Kid is a 1921 American silent comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, and features Jackie Coogan as his foundling baby, adopted son and sidekick. This was Chaplin's first full-length film as a director. It was a huge success and was the second-highest-grossing film in 1921. Now considered one of the greatest films of the silent era, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2011.
The Pawnshop was Charlie Chaplin's sixth film for Mutual Film Corporation. Released on October 2, 1916, it stars Chaplin in the role of assistant to the pawnshop owner, played by Henry Bergman. Edna Purviance plays the owner's daughter, while Albert Austin appears as an alarm clock owner who watches Chaplin in dismay as he dismantles the clock; the massive Eric Campbell's character attempts to rob the shop.
The Floorwalker is a 1916 American silent comedy film, Charlie Chaplin's first Mutual Film Corporation film. The film stars Chaplin, in his traditional Tramp persona, as a customer who creates chaos in a department store and becomes inadvertently entangled in the nefarious scheme of the store manager, played by Eric Campbell, and the store's floorwalker, played by Lloyd Bacon, to embezzle money from the establishment.
By the Sea is a 1915 American silent comedy film Charlie Chaplin made while waiting for a studio to work in Los Angeles. He had just left Niles Essanay Studio after doing five films at that location. By the Sea was filmed all on location in Santa Monica on the beach near Ocean Park Pier and on Crystal Pier in April 1915. The story centers on Charlie's Little Tramp character and how he gets into trouble trying to grab the attention of women on the beach. Edna Purviance plays one of the wives in whom he shows interest. It is said to be the first film to incorporate the classic gag of a man slipping on a banana skin.
The Pilgrim is a 1923 American silent film made by Charlie Chaplin for the First National Film Company, starring Chaplin and Edna Purviance.
Police is Charlie Chaplin's 14th film with Essanay Studios and was released in 1916. It was made at the Majestic Studio in Los Angeles. Charlie plays an ex-convict who finds life on the outside not to his liking and leads him to breaking into a home with another thief. Edna Purviance plays the girl living in the home who tries to change him.
Shoulder Arms is Charlie Chaplin's second film for First National Pictures. Released in 1918, it is a silent comedy film set in France during World War I, the first of three films he made on the subject of war. It co-starred Edna Purviance and Sydney Chaplin, Chaplin's elder brother. In this film, Chaplin is never in his Little Tramp outfit.
A Dog's Life is a 1918 American short silent film written, produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin. This was Chaplin's first film for First National Films. It was part of a then groundbreaking $1 million contract. It was for a total of eight 3 reel short silent films.
Sunnyside is a 1919 American short silent film written by, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin. It was his third film for First National Pictures.
The Rink, a silent film from 1916, was Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Mutual Films. The film co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman, and Albert Austin, and is best known for showcasing Chaplin's roller skating skills. Chaplin's obvious skill on roller skates surprised many of his fans, but Charlie was an experienced performer. As a touring vaudevillian with Fred Karno's pantomime troupe, Chaplin appeared in a roller-skating skit in which he displayed a talent for comedic falls—and the ability to cause other skaters to topple.
In the Park is Charlie Chaplin's fourth film released in 1915 by Essanay Films. It was his third film while at the Niles Essanay Studio. It was one of several films Charlie Chaplin created in a park setting at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The film co-starred Edna Purviance, Leo White, Lloyd Bacon, and Bud Jamison.
The Vagabond is a 1916 American silent romantic comedy film by Charlie Chaplin and his third film with Mutual Films. Released to theaters on July 10, 1916, it co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Leo White and Lloyd Bacon. This film echoed Chaplin's work on The Tramp, with more drama and pathos mixed in with the comedy.
The Idle Class is a 1921 American silent comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for First National Pictures.
Triple Trouble is a two-reel American silent comedy film that was released in 1918. It stars Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, and Leo White. This film was not an official Chaplin film, even though it has many Chaplin-directed scenes; after he left the studio, Essanay edited it together using outtakes and newly shot footage directed by White. It had already been established in court that Chaplin had no legal control over the films made during his time with Essanay and could not prevent its release. In his 1967 autobiography, Chaplin included "Triple Trouble" in his filmography.
Easy Street is a 1917 short action-comedy film starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin.
Mabel's Busy Day is a 1914 short comedy film starring Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin; the film was also written and directed by Mabel Normand. The supporting cast includes Chester Conklin, Slim Summerville, Edgar Kennedy, Al St. John, Charley Chase, and Mack Sennett.
The Rogue is a 1918 American short silent comedy film featuring Billy West and Oliver Hardy produced by King Bee Comedies.
Don't Be Foolish is a one-reeler 1922 silent film directed by and starring Billy West made by Sunrise Comedies and distributed by Superior Films.
References
↑ Chalmers Publishing Company (1917). Moving Picture World (Nov 1917). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company.
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