Charlie Chaplins Carmen-Parodie (Short 1915)

Charlie Chaplins Carmen-Parodie: Directed by Charles Chaplin, Leo White. With Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Ben Turpin, Peter Sellers. A gypsy seductress is sent to sway a goofy officer to allow a smuggling run.

“Chaplin liked Cecil B. DeMilleu0026#39;s u0026quot;Carmenu0026quot;; this, I think, was his only effort devoted to parodying a sole film. I disliked DeMilleu0026#39;s u0026quot;Carmenu0026quot;; neither the direction, nor narrative impressed me, and Geraldine Farrar was annoying. Edna Purviance is much easier to watch. Her caricature of Farraru0026#39;s obnoxious narcissism was entertaining and rather satisfying–nearly making the experience of watching Farraru0026#39;s performance worthwhile. And, Chaplin is funnier here than in any film he had done before. This, not u0026quot;The Championu0026quot;, u0026quot;The Trampu0026quot;, or u0026quot;Policeu0026quot;, is what I consider the jewel of his outturn at Essanay.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis short follows the same plot of DeMilleu0026#39;s u0026quot;Carmenu0026quot;, nicely condensed, absent the melodrama. And, Iu0026#39;m discussing the 1915 u0026quot;Burlesque on Carmenu0026quot;, not the bastardized version Essanay created the following year, after Chaplin had left the studio. That one includes a subplot involving Ben Turpin, which pads on two more reels to the formerly 2-reel short. This, the original, preferred version is a visually coherent, appropriately photographed short (other than some jump cuts). Chaplin took the style, or look–tinting, mise-en-scène, composition and such–right out of DeMilleu0026#39;s film. As a result, this is one of Chaplinu0026#39;s better-looking films from his early work. If nothing else, DeMille made some pretty pictures.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eChaplin did transform, or mature his comedy while at Essanay; although, of his Essanay films, only a few are very discernible from his Keystone shorts. You may witness a slight maturing in his other Essanay movies, but u0026quot;Burlesque on Carmenu0026quot; seems to introduce a radically more mature burlesque for Chaplin. And, I mean u0026quot;burlesqueu0026quot; in two senses: first, this film is a burlesque in that it parodies another film, and, second, it may be that Chaplin learned to refine the broad, crude and frantic humor of his Keystone upbringing in the process of parodying that film. Thereu0026#39;s a clear focus here–in parodying DeMilleu0026#39;s film, and thus we get a substantial refinement in Chaplinu0026#39;s style.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are some very funny moments here, too. The swordfight, which turns into a wrestling match, is great. Chaplin continually interrupts the photoplay by breaking down the fourth wall, including winking at the camera. Another of my favorite gags is when Chaplin, looking as close to the tramp as in any part of the film, stops at a saloon before continuing with the expected storyline.”