This Guy Over Here

Day two of The Cinefamily‘s Chaplin Retrospective included a wonderfully inspired double bill of Chaplin’s The Circus (1928) and Jacques Tati’s Parade (1974). It seems only natural that the two are paired up together considering the influence Chaplin had on Tati’s work. Both masters of the pantomime, these two films share similar themes of developing exuberant joy within a circus setting.

THE CIRCUS

This is Chaplin’s least sentimental of his feature films. It doesn’t center around a tragicomedy story blending comedy with drama, but rather is his most gag filled film. It follows The Tramp as he finds himself wandering around a travelling circus and its carnival festivities in the search for free food and perhaps to take in a free show. After one of his most hilarious opening sequences, the Tramp finds himself on the run from the police, which interrupts the big ring show. His antics of trying to evade the police officer put the audience in stitches, and the ring leader offers the Tramp a job on the spot.

First of all, these new 35mm prints of Chaplin’s films look amazing. They look better than ever, (and I’d even argue that it’s comparable to how they looked upon their first release!) If you are at all interested in seeing Chaplin on the big screen, this is the way.

The Circus has always had a place in my heart despite it being one of the lesser discussed films. There are some truly innovative gags in this film that demonstrate just how awesome Chaplin was at physical comedy. It didn’t even take ten minutes before the film had me in tears of laughter. No sooner than the Tramp sliding into the hall of mirrors did it become hard to breathe.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m never happier than when I’m watching a Chaplin film, but something happened during the screening last night that sent me into pure euphoria. Perhaps it helped that I was already high on laughter, but sharing giggle fits with the audience tickled me like none other. But what sent me into nirvana was seeing a father who brought his three year old son to see his first Chaplin film. During the title screens the father would lean over and read them to his son, then the Tramp would get chased by a donkey and the kid’s explosive laughter filled the cinema. It was possibly one of the most touching and joyous things I’ve ever seen. I have a hard time even typing about it without getting teary eyed.

Tight-rope sequence from The Circus

Personally, I find the gags in The Circus some of Chaplin’s best. The aforementioned fun house scene (fully equipped with the animatronic puppet sequence,) is one of my favorites, but there are many other brilliantly developed gags. The lion’s cage scene is ridiculously thrilling; the magician’s table is Chaplin at his most over the top; and perhaps most memorably is the tight-rope walking segment. Out to impress a girl, he poses as a tight-rope walker. Unbeknownst to the girl or the audience, the Tramp has paid a stagehand to put him in a harness so that he’d be safe from falling. Off to the side the stagehand hoists up the Tramp, and he seemingly flies up to the tight-rope with superhuman-like skill. He gloats by doing absurd stunts on the tight-rope, until his harness comes undone and he must balance to save his life. Naturally this is the moment when the circus monkeys find their way onto the tight-rope. They tug at his clothes and face, (one monkey HILARIOUSLY keeps biting Chaplin’s nose,) while the poor Tramp struggles to stay alive. The sequence ends with the best banana-peel jokes ever put on film. It’s truly a spectacle of physical comedy.

PARADE

I’m not as familiar with Tati’s work as I am Chaplin’s. I’ve seen and liked M. Hulot’s Holiday, I’ve endured viewed Mon Oncle, and have been witness to the first half hour of Playtime. Outside of Holiday, I’ve yet to find that one thing that connects me to Tati’s work. I can appreciate those films (particularly the latter two) for their aesthetic values – it’s some of the greatest misc-en-scene ever – but they are an exercise in tedium.

Maybe it was the elation from The Circus, but once Parade started I was much more on board with what was being presented. The film has zero

Tati pantomiming a boxing match in Parade.

narrative. It’s basically a filmed stage show utilizing bits that Tati had developed in his stage days. Here Tati is the ring master to a group of hippie circus performers, all with their own act. The setting is assembled much like a stage show, where an audience is seated around a stage area watching the performers, um, perform. But the seating area is also part of the stage for us, the audience watching the film. Audience members who seem to purely be in attendance sometimes reveal themselves to be performers in street clothes.

It’s commendable that Tati’s intentions here are to do nothing but entertain and fill people with joy. And for the first hour he succeeds. At the film’s highest points, it seems perfectly natural for the film watching audience to applaud along with the the audience in the film, (until you realize that you’re in a darkened and quiet theater…) But it’s charm wears off before its finish. I chock this up to lack of dynamic energy. It’s always reaching for 10, but after so long it can’t reach above a 6 or 7.

Regardless, it was a pleasure to endure sit through Parade, particularly when it was teamed up with The Circus. The double-feature was nothing less than visiting the circus for the evening – only without the creepy clowns!

THE CINEFAMILY

The Cinefamily is running a Chaplin retrospective all through the month of September. If you’re in Los Angeles, do not miss out on this rare chance to see Chaplin on the big screen. It’s the best entertainment you can get for $10.00 in all of LA.