Police

This is one of the shorts on the three DVD set of Essanay films by Charlie Chaplin. While the quality of the films on this volume (3) lags significantly behind volumes 1 and 2, this particular short is pretty good. It and A NIGHT IN THE SHOW are my two favorites on the DVD. The original POLICE was apparently chopped to pieces by Essanay Studios and this version is reportedly the most complete to the original in existence.

In this film, the Little Tramp is released from jail at the beginning. While still in the mood to commit a little larceny, Chaplin's character is fundamentally decent as evidenced by the latter part of the film. A rogue that Charlie knew in prison gets together with him to do a burglary, but when the rogue gets violent and threatens the inhabitants, gallant Charlie comes to the rescue.

The movie has a few laughs, but really excels because of its use of plot and an actual story to provide a deeper movie watching experience.

One of my favorite things about watching these old short comedies that Chaplin was making before he really understood what his own message was is to watch the development not only of his style and on screen talent but also the development of his understanding of his audience. The tramp is the cinema's most famous everyman, and as far as I know this is his most criminal outing yet.

The movie opens with him being released from jail and immediately two things happen: first he is swindled by someone claiming to be trying to get him on the right path, and second, he stumbles across a drunk with a nice gold watch hanging from his vest, begging to be stolen. He fumbles with it a bit, but never once indicates that the thought of stealing it ever enters his mind, even though he could easily get away with it.

But before you go thinking that the tramp was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was convicted of whatever crime he was just released from prison for, he immediately becomes involved in a plot to rob a wealthy mansion in cahoots with none other than his old cell-mate. Apparently he didn't learn his lesson so well!

Luckily, the tramp lives in a world where mansions are populated by his old pal Edna Purviance who, when bothered by the robbers intrusion, calls the police, who are so indifferent to the emergency call that they hang out at the police station chatting and sipping drinks before responding.

In true Chaplin form, the tramp manages to win Edna's sympathy, and when the police finally arrive (in true Chief Wiggam form, as it were), he convinces them that he is her husband, and the tramp cheerfully enjoys a quick smoke with the three officers, tapping ashes into one of their hands on the way out, just as the one officer who knows what's going on arrives and throws himself against the door.

The tramp has already slammed the door shut by this point, so he casually drop kicks his cigar as only Chaplin can and relishes in the fact that he has won. The unpleasantness that is sure to follow is unimportant, because soon Charlie falls in love and learns that there are more important things in life than robbing people. This is also one of the earliest films where Chaplin so clearly illustrates his almost Robin Hood-like contempt for the police's oppression of the people. Great stuff!

Just a couple of years into his film career and, while Chaplin had already come a long way since his first outings, he was still far from the finished article. In this film he's both villain and victim: an ex-con who is immediately fleeced by a fake preacher upon his release from prison and then teams up with an old cell mate to rob the house of Edna Purviance and her sick old mum.

The film's OK, but it's nothing great and, while it amuses for most of it's running time - apart from the last five minutes when things start to become a little flat - it doesn't raise any real belly laughs. Chaplin would get much better.

Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors.

From his Essanay period after leaving Keystone, 'Police' is not one of his very best but is one of his best early efforts and among the better short films of his. It shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career, from 1914, The Essanay period is something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. Something that can be seen in the more than worthwhile 'Police'.

The story is more discernible than usual and is never dull, but is sometimes a bit too busy.

On the other hand, 'Police' looks pretty good, not incredible but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work and not churning out countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.

While not one of his most hilarious or touching, 'Police' is still very funny with some clever, entertaining and well-timed slapstick and has substance and pathos that generally were not there with Keystone. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight. The ending is great fun.

Chaplin directs more than competently, if not quite cinematic genius standard yet. He also, as usual, gives an amusing and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality and substance of the role. The supporting cast acquit themselves well, particularly a charming Edna Purviance.

In summary, very good and one of the best from Chaplin's Essanay period. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I disagree with everyone who says that 'Police' is uneven. This little one is probably one of the best structured early Chaplin's short. There is a story, and it is logical. Simple, yes, but it follows the classic rules of story development. 'Police' is not just a random collection of gags taking place somewhere. There are nice subtle gags which some become a running joke, and then there is over-the-top fast-paced slapstick. Although the film is cleverly constructed, and Chaplin tries something different with his Tramp character (Tramp has never before been so straightforward criminal) it still is not that inventive or interesting as some of his later (short) films. Still, 'Police' is not the movie to pass on, this is quite important Charles Chaplin picture, mainly because here his story creating ability gets to shine beside his creative gags.