The Pilgrim (1923) - written, directed, and produced by Charlie Chaplin - was Chaplin's last "short" before going into feature length films. In it, Chaplin plays an escaped convict who disguises himself as a minister and is mistaken for the new parson in a small Texas town. He is brought to the church where, in my favorite scene, he acts out the story of David and Goliath. You can watch it below:
After that he is brought to the house where he will stay. On his way there he is recognized by his cell mate who follows him and invites himself to tea. While there, the landlady tries to pay her next mortgage bill to the deacon, who refuses to accept the payment on the Sabbath. Chaplin's friend proceeds to steal the money and Chaplin chases after him, recovering the money and returning it to the landlady's pretty daughter. He is then recognized as a convict and arrested. On his way back to jail the sheriff lets Chaplin escape into Mexico, where he has no jurisdiction.
An interesting note from an article on TCM: "Also notable in the cast is Chaplin's brother Sydney who appears in three roles as the eloping man, the train conductor and the father of the "slapping boy." The "slapping boy" is played by three-and-a-half-year old Dean Reisner and son of The Pilgrim's assistant director Charles Reisner (who also plays the pickpocket). Dean would grow up to become a leading screenwriter in Hollywood, penning the "do you feel lucky, punk" scene for Dirty Harry (1971)."
This little film was great fun to watch. Being so short it's hard to write about, so I hope this short post will encourage you to watch the film for yourself, which is linked for you below:
This post is part of The Charlie Chaplin Blogathon hosted by Little Bits of Classics and Christina Wehner. Be sure to check out all of the other posts!
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I've never seen this film but you have certainly stirred my interest! It's now on my viewing list. Thanks so much and best regards, Paul.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I still have a lot of Chaplin to watch but I'm glad I caught this one!
DeleteGreat introduction! I never knew so many notable people appeared in it. I will have to look for Sydney Chaplin, now. I've seen this once, but really enjoyed it. The added touch where he keeps forgetting that the very fact that he is dressed as a parson makes him above suspicion was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteSo very glad you could join the blogathon!
Haha yes, that was funny. Thanks for hosting!
DeleteThanks for the link to this film. I loved the clip you posted, where he acted out the story of David & Goliath. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI'm catching up on my blog reading, but I'll be back to watch the film.