Caught in the Rain

Although this is not an earth-shaking classic, it is a very pleasant little film.

Charlie is not yet, as W.C. Fields would later call him, "the world's best ballet dancer", but he takes his falls gracefully. Even more, he permits his other actors their moments in the light. Mack Swain is -- not surprisingly -- very good and even Alice Davenport, as Mack's sleep-walking wife, gets some very funny moments. Chaplin clearly has the film as his primary consideration and his performance take secondary consideration. This was one of the reasons he was able to flourish as an actor-director for thirty years.

But if you're looking for a work of comic genius, this is not it. Chaplin never did any of those at Keystone. Their brand of farce did not really suit him.

Just caught this, one of the earliest films directed by star Charlie Chaplin, on a DVD collection called "American Slapstick". In this one, The Tramp runs afoul of a married couple, first at a park bench, and then at a hotel. The wife of this couple turns out to be a sleepwalker. Also, The Tramp is drunk during much of this. That's all I'll say except while I found much amusing in the beginning and I liked Charlie's constant slipping down the stairs nearly every time he tries to go up them, it just lost steam after that for me. Good thing he'd get much better later on. Oh, and there's also a man whose foot is heavily bandaged and that Chaplin keeps stepping on that was also good for a few laughs. So on that note, Caught in the Rain is worth a look.

'Caught in the Rain' is the first movie entirely directed and written by Charles Chaplin. Although he had tried his hand in directing before once and had helped to write other movies, this movie can be named as his directorial debut. The film was released at the beginning of May - so within four months in the Keystone Charles Chaplin had risen from beginner movie actor to movie director. 'Caught in the Rain' is a comedy that is quite equal to other better Keystone productions. A private screening to usual Keystone directors was held and they were impressed by Chaplin's work. So, that says something.

Although quite a good and entertaining movie, the genius we all know Chaplin now, doesn't show yet. What this movie proves, is that Chaplin was a quick learner to create such a coherent work of comedy so early in his career. Charming but the humor is still not so well refined. He still plays on his, by this time, so familiar drunk who makes passes on the women act.

Chaplin really starts breaking out in this directorial debut for Keystone, and one sees glimmers of the greatness already in this 1914 short. Worth seeing for the comedy bits especially at the beginning, with his physical comedy on stairs, park benches, etc. Apparently, Chaplin was made of rubber. You'll be scratching your head wondering how he did those stunts, they seem pretty dangerous.

The early films of Charlie Chaplin just haven't aged well. Despite his well deserved reputation as a comedy genius, most of his very early shorts from 1914-1916 or so are just dreadful by today's standards. They are just too short and amateurish to be or any interest except to film historians or to strange people like me who are trying to see every available Chaplin film.

This film is all to familiar material for the early films with themes involving Charlie being drunk, making passes at married women and Mabel Normand sleepwalking. There is really nothing very original here, but for what it is it is a fairly decent film.