Easy Street (1917)

A Mutual Comedy. Copyright 5 February 1917 by Lone Star Corporation. U.S. release: 22 January 1917. 20 minutes.SYNOPSIS: When he falls for a beautiful mission worker, a tramp decides to mend his ways. So he takes a job as a policeman. His beat is Easy Street, a nest of crims, dope addicts, wife beaters, etc. COMMENT: This, the best of Chaplin's Mutual comedies was made straight after one of his least interesting, The Rink. Where The Rink was nothing but a dull succession of quick-timed, mindless slapstick, Easy Street has a heartening story to tell, and the humor is not imposed on that story but springs naturally from within it. As usual, Chaplin has surrounded himself with an attention-grabbing array of support players, not the least of which are burly giant Eric Campbell and the lovely shining-haired Edna Purviance. Chaplin also makes the most of his sets and props. In fact, everyone who sees Easy Street (an ironic title!) will recall the street-lamp gag forever. Grapevine offers a DVD set of all 12 Chaplin Mutuals. Although excellent 1930's re-issue prints with added music and sound effects, they run too fast! St Clair Vision's set of 51 Chaplins, runs a very worn print at correct speed. I recommend Delta's Essential Chaplin.

"Easy Street" is a 24-minute short movie from 1917. So it soon has its 100th birthday. 1917 was a time in Charlie's career when not only Edna Purviance was a regular in his movies playing the love interest usually, but also Eric Campbell was usually in these playing the main antagonist to Chaplin's character. And not only the difference in size makes Chaplin and Campbell such a successful duo, it's also the way they elevate the other's material. This film here may be the best example. Chaplin is so much better when he is not just a one-man show, but actually gives some screen time to other characters as well, because they are needed to make it a better story. Of course, Chaplin was the biggest movie star at that point, but you can't have a great story with one person bringing slapstick comedy from start to finish and sadly this is what Chaplin did in many of his films. However, this one is not among them and yet it is lots of fun to watch Chaplin as a police officer. One of his best and this one was made near the end of Chaplin's short film career. recommended.

Comedy wise this is probably the most disappointing of Chaplin's Mutual films that I've seen so far. In the entire film I only laughed out loud once and generally there were very few funny moments anywhere. What the film does contain though is another tender story about overcoming the odds, hard work, temperance and love which is something that Chaplin was becoming the master of at this stage of his career.Easy Street itself looks to be modelled on the sort of South London streets that Chaplin would have grown up on himself. They don't look very American to me and it's only when a late chase takes us outside of the confines of Easy Street that it becomes obvious that we are in America. Like much of Chaplin's work, Easy Street is routed in a Dickensian world that predates film altogether. The crime and violence on Easy Street may well have been a satirical response to pre Prohibition America where if history is to be believed the masses drank until they passed out or were knocked out. The saving grace of the Policeman and the Christian Mission is very appropriate to the era.What is nice about Easy Street is that Chaplin's character is without selfishness. In many of his early films he was the reluctant hero or came to be the hero through mistake or after he had attempted to con or rip people off. Easy Street shows a further departure from this and towards his later incarnation as the victim/underdog of his future films. It's a shame that in Easy Street though Chaplin wasn't able to balance the character, story and comedy and that the latter suffers. The basis of an excellent film is in place but like most people I watch a Charlie Chaplin film to laugh and I didn't do that in this film.www.attheback.blogspot.com

'Easy Street' is a short comedy from Charlie Chaplin and in this one he doesn't play his popular tramp. Although he is not the tramp I find this short one of the best from Chaplin I have seen. It is as funny as the other shorts he has made but for some reason the story here keeps your attention a lot easier. I had a great time watching this.Chaplin is a police officer who must go to Easy Street where a man is causing some trouble. Chaplin arrests the man, sort of by accident, but because all the other police officers are scared of the man he manages to escape. He faces Chaplin once again, and the moments where Chaplin is followed are hilarious. There a lot of other very nice moments, and of course there is a girl. A terrific Chaplin short.