Tuesday, August 18, 2020

The Rounders (1914 film)




Written, edited, directed, and co-starring Charles Chaplin, The Rounders is the story of two drunks who get into trouble with their wives as they decide to cause trouble. The sixteen-minute film is a silent comedy that has Chaplin and co-star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle be two men who decide to stay away from their wives because of their drunken behavior. Also starring Phyllis Allen and Minta Durfee. The Rounders is a whimsical and enjoyable film from Charles Chaplin.

The film is the simple story of two men who are both drunk as they bring nothing but disappointment to the wives as they decide to hang out and get drunk. That is the plot as a whole as it just plays into two men who just want to drink and that’s it while they’ve managed to upset their wives who learn that their husbands have stolen their money just so they can have a drink. Charles Chaplin’s direction is largely straightforward as it’s just a simple static shot where there are no camera movements as everything is presented in a medium shot that allows Chaplin to get coverage of a room or location as well as a physical comedic set-up.

With the aid of cinematographer Frank D. Williams shooting the film’s black-and-white film stock, Chaplin maintains this air of controlled chaos in the film as it play into the physical humor and the outcome of these two drunks. Despite the appearance of a man in black face, Chaplin does maintain a sense of exuberance in his humor where he allows Phyllis Allen and Minta Durfee in their respective roles as Chaplin and Arbuckle’s wives to be funny as the film does belong to both Charles Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle maintain that sense of physicality in their approach to comedy with Chaplin often being the one being dragged and Arbuckle as the heavy.

The Rounders is an excellent film from Charles Chaplin. Featuring some amazing hijinks and comedy from Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle, it’s a silent comedy that has the actors play to their strengths as well as telling a simple story about two guys just wanting to get drunk. In the end, The Rounders is a fantastic film from Charles Chaplin.

Charles Chaplin Films: (Twenty Minutes of Love) - (Caught in the Rain) - (A Busy Day) - (Her Friend the Bandit) - (Mabel’s Married Life) - (Laughing Gas) - (The Face On the Bar Room Floor) - (Recreation) - (The Masquerader) - (His New Profession) - (The Property Man) - (The New Janitor) - (Those Love Pangs) - (Dough & Dynamite) - (Gentlemen of Nerve) - (His Musical Career) - (His Trysting Place) - (Getting Acquainted) - (His Prehistoric Past) - (His New Job) - (A Night Out) - (The Champion) - (In the Park) - (A Jitney Elopement) - (The Tramp) - (By the Sea (1915 film)) - (His Regeneration) - (Work (1915 film) - (A Woman) - (The Bank) - (Shanghaied) - (A Night in the Snow) - (Burlesque on Carmen) - (Police (1916 film)) - (Triple Trouble) - (The Floorwalker) - (The Fireman) - (The Vagabond) - (One A.M. (1916 film)) - (The Count) - (The Pawnshop) - (Behind the Screen) - (The Rink) - (Easy Street) - (The Cure (1917 film)) - (The Immigrant (1917 film)) - (The Adventurer) – A Dog's Life - (The Bond) – Shoulder Arms - Sunnyside - A Day's Pleasure - (The Professor) – The Kids (1921 film) - The Idle Class - Pay DayThe Pilgrim (1923 film) - A Woman of Paris - The Gold Rush - The Circus (1928 film) - City Lights - Modern Times - The Great Dictator - Monsieur Verdoux - Limelight - A King in New York - (A Countess from Hong Kong)

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