Der Champion

'The Champion' is a nice short film by Charlie Chaplin and of course with Charlie Chaplin. Watching him I always admire his skills. I don't know if you can call it acting but whatever you call it he is great with it. This short starts as a real story but soon it can come to the moment where Chaplin can show his skills. This time in a boxing contest and the preparation before it. There are some very funny moments and most of it was not that predictable. That is the case very often in the shorts of Charlie Chaplin but not so much in this one. I also liked the way the music played together with the performances, it made the whole thing funnier. Definitely worth a watch.

With lots of good material, an interesting (if humorously implausible) story, and some secondary characters that are used well, "The Champion" is a very good short comedy, and is easily one of the best of Charlie Chaplin's early comedies.

It begins with Charlie answering a prize-fighter's request for sparring partners, and starting from there Chaplin gets involved in some adventures that, though lacking any believability, are quite amusing. Most of the sequences make use of the secondary characters more than is usual for Chaplin's early features. Early in the story, while Charlie and the other fighters are waiting for their turn, it makes good use of the mannerisms and expressions of the others, as well as Chaplin himself. In the main fight scene, the activity in the ring is funny, creative, and well-choreographed - there are moments when it is almost as good as the celebrated boxing scene in "City Lights". That's not to say, of course, that overall this short movie approaches such a standard of greatness, but it is a well-made and entertaining little comedy.

The Champion is a simple little front for great physical comedy in the context of a sports movie. Charlie Chaplin is the real champion of the story, ensuring that at 30 minutes of silent movie length The Champion is a sufficiently entertaining comedy loaded with the entertaining slapstick and comedic dynamics that make him the iconic comedian he is today. It's a fun venture, moving him from being the sophisticated man in a suit to being an unusually talented boxer. It maintains a classical feel with much of the original vaudeville atmosphere to it, and supplies a good slap of many sticks from the hands of the man himself, Charlie Chaplin.

This is one of 5 Chaplin that are on the first DVD of Chaplin's Essanay Comedies. In general, compared to volume 2, the shorts on volume 1 aren't as well-made--because the DVDs are arranged chronologically. Chaplin's skill as a film maker and actor appeared to improve through his stay with Essanay Studios.

This short is not great, but compared to the previous Essanay shorts, it is a major improvement. That's because this short is more like a mini-movie and is very plot-driven--something ALL great Chaplin shorts have in common. The final boxing sequence is funny but makes no sense--just turn off your brain and enjoy.

By the way,...I like the dog in the film. Dogs like this are cool.

Chaplin's third Essanay picture and he finally appears to have found his feet with the new studio. Chaplin's tramp, destitute and famished spots a sign offering money to act as a sparring partner. He watches as three men go in before him and return battered and bruised. Chaplin however has a trick up his sleeve or rather in his glove; a lucky horseshoe, which he uses to knock out his larger, more adept opponent. Spotting his potential a trainer prepares the slight Chaplin for a big fight against the champion Bob Uppercut (Bud Jamison) but Chaplin has other things on his mind, namely the trainer's daughter Edna Purviance.

I was so glad that this film was good. I was really disappointed with Chaplin's first two Essanay films His New Job and A Night Out. This is a real return to form. The idea was actually taken from a Fred Karno sketch that Chaplin performed before entering the movie industry. Perhaps one of the reasons for the film's success is that Chaplin knew what he was doing before he went in rather than partially making it up as he went along.

The film really shows its age with its inter-titles. There wasn't one occasion where I understood every word! But you have to remember that this film is 97 years old and language changes. Another thing that changes is people's attitudes and sensibilities towards kissing. It's hard to believe now but Hollywood once enforced a self censorship ruling that meant that no on screen kiss could last more than a couple of seconds. Although made in pre-code Hollywood, Chaplin got round this type of censorship by having his Tramp kiss Edna from behind a large beer bottle. It's a clever device that works around censorship.

The film is much slower and more measured than much of Chaplin's other work of the period and especially the work of Keystone. The opening scene in which Chaplin shares a hot dog with his equally starving dog is both very sweet and very slow and reminiscent of his later work. It's a complete opposite of his previous Keystone films.

The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the boxing. Watching Chaplin train in his trademark bowler hat is brilliant and the big fight itself is hilarious and extremely well choreographed. Chaplin and Jamison spend half the fight either falling over or in embraces, punching themselves in the face and the umpire obviously gets a few punches thrown his way too. Raging Bull this is not. You have to feel that the film is a precursor to Chaplin's massively successful City Lights which features his famous boxing scene. Another highlight is the fantastic makeup and over the top fake facial hair of the film's villain Leo White, a motif of Chaplin's early work. Without dialogue you are still always sure who the bad guy is with his deep dark eyes, pale face and enormous moustache.

This film is not up there with Chaplin's later work but shows great potential. It is a marked improvement on his earlier Essanay films and introduced a lot of action into his repertoire.

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