The Better 'Ole

Better 'Ole, The (1926)

** (out of 4)

Due to his legendary younger brother people have forgotten the work of Syd Chaplin. Forgotten is that this guy form the comedy genre and pretty much formed his younger brother Charles. This film here is yet another forgotten one but is slightly remembered for being Warner's second feature film to have the Vitaphone sound. The film, based on newspaper cartoon characters, features Syd as 'Old Bill', a legendary figure fighting in WW1 who constantly finds himself battling an uphill fight. This is a rather strange comedy because the film remains highly entertaining even though there's not a single laugh to be found it in. All of the jokes aren't what I'd call funny but they are amusing in some weird way and in the end the film really isn't too bad. The Vitaphone sound includes various sound effects, a couple whispered words and that's about it but I was surprised at how well it all sounded considering this technology was under a year old. Several of the gags are based around these sound effects and there are a couple unique ones including a scene where a bomb goes off in a barn and Syd finds himself covered with hay. There's also a very long sequence dealing with Syd and his buddy getting into a cow outfit and causing all sorts of trouble. I was also surprised at how big the budget was on this thing because the war scenes look top notch and all the costume detail is top notch. Even with that said, the comedy just doesn't come off as funny but for fans of early sound cinema this is worth viewing at least once.

Although the character of Old Bill and his pal Alf had its origins in the comic strips of Great Britain in doing a bit of research I was surprised to learn that the play on which this film was based was produced by the American actor Charles Coburn. It ran 353 performances and it starred Coburn on Broadway as well during the 1918-19 season. But it came to the screen as a vehicle for Sydney Chaplin, older brother of Charlie Chaplin and a fair comic himself.

Curiously enough one of Charlie's successes was a service comedy set in World War II Shoulder Arms. But in this case the comedy is set in the British army with the British born Sydney Chaplin.

Whatever else Old Bill is, he's a survivor. He and partner Alf played by John Ackroyd are the Willie and Joe of the British Expeditionary Force. The situations these two find themselves could easily be adapted to World War II era service comedies that conceivably would have starred folks like Bob Hope or Danny Kaye.

Briefly put the plot has Old Bill and Alf foiling a major German offensive almost singlehandedly. A remarkable achievement for a pair that make gold bricking an art form.

I'd check out The Better 'Ole to see what a funny guy Charlie's brother could be.

Fair silent comedy that does not play well to a modern audience -- probably because it is not slapstick enough to be funny today and because the drama appears more of an afterthought to what could have been a pure comedy. The first half of the movie drags but the second half is bearable.

Film opens with our hero, Syd Chaplin, and his pal in the trenches where they are chastised by bully Corporal Austin (Edgar Kennedy) –for singing after having survived a shelling. IMDb credits list Ed Kennedy as Corporal Quint but the actual film credit is quite clear. Film shift to the town of Boucaret where we encounter the traitor Major Russett who is in league with Gaspard, the owner of the Rooster Inn. Long and not particularly interesting sequence where Syd gets breakfast.

Cabaret night is mildly funny as Syd picks up thirteen chairs and a piano to clear the stage. Town transitions from British to German control. Syd and pal get left behind in horse costume. Probably best scenes are where Syd serves German General lunch and then sits on the body of an unconscious German soldier whose legs he arranges to look like his own. Syd and pal manage to fool German guards and eventually break free to help British Intelligence Officer save the British troops that come back into Boucaret. Syd is promoted to Sergeant thus giving him the opportunity to pay back Edgar Kennedy.

In many of these old silent war movies, even if the plot is threadbare, the shots of old war equipment or tactics might be of interest today. This is not one of those movies. Nor was Syd as good as his half-brother Charlie.

In WWI, Bert Chester is in the British Secret Service and working the British lines alongside the lowly soldiers. Pvt. William 'Old Bill' Busby (Syd Chaplin) is the beloved 30 years veteran of the service. He's a comedic everyman who won't be rising up the ranks any time soon.

I don't know anything about Syd Chaplin. Apparently, he's the older half-brother of Charlie Chaplin and had his own movie career during the silent era. The brothers were very close. One can certainly see similar mannerisms. Syd is a chunkier and older version of his famous brother. That works comedically. I'm actually surprised that he didn't get more play as the Tramp's friend or family. He would fit very nicely as a carnival mirror image of the iconic character. Maybe he's a little too close for comedic purposes. They would step on each other comedically. In this movie, he's a rougher version of the Tramp. I really like this character. He's fun. As for the movie, it runs a bit longer than I expected. It's full-length like a modern film. It runs out of steam. The horse bit goes on too long. I like my silent films a lot shorter unless they are involved stories. I'm not that involved with this story.

Oh my goodness this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. There are scenes I laughed so hard I thought I would burst. Funny throughout.... so sad Syd did not get the acclaim of his half brother...he deserved every bit of it... I was wary of a silent film about war... but I was not disappointed in the least... it is one of those movies one wishes could go on forever...it was so very good... at least if you like Chaplinesque type of slapstick others in the movie were also very funny... If you enjoy slapstick and comedy...if you love old silent films long lost...then you will really enjoy this movie. It is set in France during World War I when German was invading and controlling the country side...the Allies in this movie are the British and the comedy is without limits to nationality.