Review of The Immigrant (1917) by Byron B — 10 Jul 2013

I saw a version that had some sound effects attached, but they weren't synched to the video very well. Despite that flaw of low budget digitization, the laughs and strong characters still come through.

Chaplin's Little Tramp is one immigrant among many making the journey to the land of opportunity. A girl, the lovely Edna Purviance, and her mother are robbed by a cards playing cheater (Sandford).

The Tramp helps out and is, as usual, the perfect gentleman. The dinner on the rolling ship is a great bit of slapstick. In America the immigrants all have to face being poor. Our Tramp thinks he has a coin good for a hot meal.

So, again we are treated to clowning and pratfalls around the equalizer of food. The Head Waiter (Campbell) is an irritated stuck-up bully. Chaplin reunites with the girl and plays nonchalant. He sees what happens to customers who don't pay and some of the best gags involve Chaplin rapidly shifting between this false calm and real anxiety.

Can he make it out alive and get the girl?