Shoulder Arms

Chaplin took so long to direct this 3 reel comedy, his longest to that old date. Once in France and dealing with with Chaplin as a Boot Hill soldier who still looks like an awkward tramp . At the military quarter he doesn't obtain letter from home, at last, he achieves a pack containing limburger cheese. After that, he has the cheese from a mousetrap. Later on, he volunteers to wander behind German lines and posing as a tree takes 13 prisoners , surrendering them from the enemy trench . Finally, with the help a beautiful French girl, Edna Purviance, captures the Kaiser, Syd Chaplin, and the Crown Prince.

The picture had success at boxoffice and the public liked it, specially the following scenes : when Charlie under a gas mask eats the cheese and subsequently he throws it over the enemy lines, as Charlie disguises as a tree trunk and kicks German soldiers in the seat of their pants , and when he takes the Kaiser and is given a statue of victory . In the picture appears two Chaplin's regular : Edna Purviance and Syd Chaplin in a double role as The Kaiser and Charlie's comrade.

This was the longest film to that date and it premiered only 3 weeks before the end of the WWII. This was a 3 reel comedy, he previously directed 1 or 2 reel short movies, such as : Our hero, Night at the show, The fireman, The adventurer, The count, The floorwalker, The circus, The cure, The inmigrant, Burlesque on Carmen, 3 Charlies and one phoney, among others. Shortly after, he directed long time films as The gold rush, the Kid, City lights, Modern times, The great dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight, A King in NY, and his last one : A countess from Hong Kong. Rating 7.5/10. Better than average Chalie movie. Essential and indispensable watching for Charles Chaplin fans. Well worth seeing