Ein Uhr nachts

1914 was Chaplin's first year in films and he starred in 25 movies in just this first year alone. However, many of these films were pretty bad--with practically no plot and just a lot of improvisation that sometimes worked and often didn't. Despite the quality of these films, by 1915 he was probably the #1 star in the world and was lured away from Keystone Studios--with promises of more money and even greater autonomy. Instead of just doing the same old comedies, Chaplin improved upon his "Little Tramp" character and begin carefully scripting his films, and so naturally the quality improved greatly.

ONE A.M. is a great example of his newer and more thought-out scripts for Mutual Studios. While Chaplin is the only person who appears in the film (other than a very brief scene with a cabbie at the beginning), the film is not simply improv or mugging for the camera, but well-choreographed and using complicated props made specially for this film. Several examples would include the spinning taxi meter, the clock with the dangerous swinging pendulum and the amazing and almost intelligent bed.

At first, I thought this whole drunk act theme would become tiresome. After all, at almost 17 minutes, that's a long time to do a drunk "schtick". However, when I thought perhaps Chaplin was milking a scene too much for comedy, he switched to another prop and kept my interest. Funny, well-made and memorable--this is one of Chaplin's best comedy shorts and translates well to viewing in the 21st century.

One of Charlie Chaplin's many short comedies, "One A.M." is essentially a one-man show, and while it is purely slapstick-oriented without any of the depth of Chaplin's later films, it's pretty good. Except for a brief appearance by a cab driver at the beginning, Charlie is on-screen alone for the entire film, as a man returning home after a night of carousing. All he wants to do is go to bed, but before he can go to bed, he has to get up the stairs, and before he can get up the stairs, he has to get inside the house - but in Charlie's condition, each step is fraught with peril.

The film starts somewhat slowly, but gets funnier as it goes along. Chaplin shows off not just his comic timing, but his acrobatic skills as well - some of the stunts are pretty impressive. While this is certainly not one of his best, it's worth watching.

At Mutual, Chaplin had more freedom, and the result was the funniest and most entertaining short films he ever made. 'One A.M.' is one of his most experimental Mutual shorts: how many laughs can he get from a 20-some-minutes drunken solo, where, for the most part, he only interacts with inanimate objects (although the Murphy bed seems very alive). He got many from me.

Chaplin did a hilarious drunk act--that's evident in many of his other films, as well: 'The Rounders' (1914), a Keystone short costarring an equally funny 'Fatty' Arbuckle, comes to mind, as does another of his Mutual shorts, 'The Cure' (1917). Moreover, Chaplin's tendency to portray a dandy as a drunk, rather than a tramp, which could cause the humour to lose out to melancholic social commentary, was prudent. Making fun of the tacky and ridiculous possessions of an overly dressed bachelor is more of sure thing. Chaplin's dandy--even his tramp personae--owes plenty to Max Linder, too, as Chaplin himself often cited.

Another influence worth mentioning here is his background in Fred Karno's Fun Factory troupe. The only filmmakers other than Chaplin who are provided with much to do in 'One A.M.' it seems are those in care of the props and setting. 'One A.M.' could have as easily have been a music hall act as a short film. Nevertheless, all of this does make for a unique film in Chaplin's canon. By now, it's clear that Chaplin had matured from the rapid-paced, knockabout style of Keystone for a more graceful pantomime. That's not to say there aren't pratfalls and other tried-and-true gags here, but the temperament is radically different.

Charlie Chaplin said the happiest he had ever been during his career was with his third film studio, Mutual Film Corporation. Film historians claim his best and most innovative movies Chaplin produced came out of his 18-month association with Mutual. The comedian was appreciative of the one-month period he was allowed to create each of his movies, a luxury he wasn't afforded with his previous employers.

Chaplin produced three classic films in the summer of 1916, with his August 1916's "One A. M." one of those rare movies he had acted for the most part alone. (There's a brief beginning sequence where he's with a cab driver who is dropping him off at his door.) Chaplin plays a drunk (not his usual Tramp character) who makes a 25-minute effort of coordinating himself in his apartment and his bedroom before he goes asleep. The premise would appear to be one fat yawner, but as one reviewer at the time wrote, "When I thought perhaps Chaplin was milking a scene too much for comedy, he switched to another prop and kept my interest. Funny, well-made and memorable -- this is one of Chaplin's best slapsticks."

One biographer claimed Chaplin fell a total of 46 times before reaching slumberland. The inanimate objects in his apartment appear to confront the inebriated man in his mission to simply go to his bed and sleep. Another biographer felt that "One A. M." was "the cleverest and conceivably the funniest film Chaplin made for Mutual."

This short film numbers among Chaplin's best, and is a stunning example of his skill as a silent physical comedic actor. However, one has to enjoy silent, completely non-verbal, comedy in the first place. While I laughed almost non-stop through this entire film, close friends of mine, who were not entertained by Chaplin's physical gaffes, quickly lost interest.