La Folle Aventure de Charlot et de Lolotte

What a treat that this 1914 feature-length comedy still exists. Historically important as the first feature comedy, it also boasts three great stars: Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, and Mabel Normand. Directed by legendary Mack Sennett, this broad comedy was adapted from Dressler's stage hit. It's rough, with missing pieces, but enough exists to showcase the comedy talents of this trio of stars. The story is trite but Dressler and Chaplin are so funny, you forget the plot and laugh along with the mugging and pratfalls. So far as I know, Dressler and Chaplin never worked together again. What a shame. Dressler adapted to talkies (winning an Oscar for Min and Bill) so much better than Chaplin did. Normand died before the advent of talkies. Anyway, certainly worth a look. Co-stars Chester Conklin, Charles Murray, Minta Durfee, Edgar Kennedy, Charley Chase, Mack Swain, and possibly Milton Berle as the newsboy. Berle always said he played it. Edna Purviance may be the leading lady in the film Chaplin and Normand go to see. I love this film.

Mack Sennett, head of Keystone Studios, decided to take the plunge and produce a big budgeted feature film based on the Broadway comedy "Tillie's Nightmare." He was able to entice the play's star, Marie Dressler, for at that time one of her rare movie performances (she had previously appeared in two shorts). Augmenting her would be the studio's main stars, Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin. Sennett would spend a hefty $50,000 ($1.2 million in today's figures) for production, an enormous departure from his studio's trademark quickie, cheap movies.

Released in December 1914, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" became an instant hit with movie audiences. Chaplin discards his Tramp outfit to play a shyster intent on swindling the father of Dressler's life savings. Normand's role as Chaplin's girlfriend adds humor to the plot.

Critics were equally admirable in their reviews of "Tillie's," with one writing, "The film's final reel is a comedic crescendo, building from a brief pie fight to mayhem caused by Tillie firing a pistol indiscriminately, culminating with a farcical chase on a pier featuring the Keystone Cops on land and sea." "Tillie's" would be one of 500 movies nominated by American Film Institute for its Best 100 All-Time Film Comedies.

"Tillie's" was cinema's first feature film comedy. On a personal level, the movie would be Chaplin's last motion picture with Keystone as well as his final movie he neither wrote nor directed in his long film career. Sennett directed "Tillie's" and co-wrote the script.

Dressler would star in three more "Tillie" movies in the next three years, all produced by different studios. She returned to the stage and vaudeville after the last "Tillie," and wouldn't return to the screen until the late 1920's, making a successful transition to sound soon after. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930 in "Min and Bill," and received a nomination in the same category two years later in "Emma."

Chaplin, seeing his star rising during his year at Keystone, wanted more money when his contract with the studio expired at the end of 1914. Sennett claimed he couldn't afford the comedian's salary demand of $1,000 per week. Essanay Film Manufacturing Company knocked on Chaplin's door and offered $1,250 per week with a $10,000 signing bonus, guaranteeing greater artistic freedom for the actor. He took the studio's offer. He headed for Chicago, the headquarters for Essanay, to begin working on his first film for the company. Yet, Chaplin later reflected emotionally he couldn't personally say farewell to his buddies he had developed friendships with at Keystone when it was time to depart. "It was a wrench leaving Keystone, for I had grown fond of Sennett and everyone there. I never said goodby, I couldn't."

Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Marie Dressler and Director Mack Sennett on the same set should be hard to beat, right? Well, yes and no. I would have to agree with the majority of writers that the film is important as the first feature length comedy, and for the exceptional talent associated with it. But the slapstick and sight gags become tiresome in a hurry - today's audiences are too sophisticated (or think they are) for pratfalls, a kick in the pants, etc., and so the film does not wear well.To really appreciate it we would have to have been in the audience when it was current. Time marches on, and some pictures get trampled in the march. I gave it a '6' solely on its historical value.

By the way, too many writers include a story synopsis with their comments - but why? If there's one in place, why repeat?

The comedy in "Tillie's Punctured Romance" is admittedly mediocre, but many who love classic cinema will still find this feature worth seeing once just for its cast. Besides Mabel Normand, it has Charlie Chaplin and Marie Dressler in some of their earliest film roles, plus Edgar Kennedy and Mack Swain in smaller roles, and of course the Keystone Cops. Most of these wonderful performers are not shown to their best advantage here, but it is still a rare chance to see them all together.

The film in itself is only fair. The story-line had possibilities, but Mack Sennett's disjointed, knockabout style just doesn't work very well in a full-length feature. Most of the material is quite predictable after a while, and except for the "Cops", who have a few funny moments, the cast members do not have roles that give them a chance to do what they do best. There are a handful of decent gags amongst the routine physical humor, and a film-within-a-film sequence that comes off all right, but in general there just was not enough worthwhile material to fill up a running time of this length. With this cast, though, it might have made a very good two- or three-reeler.

Charles Chaplin plays The City Guy, who sees his opportunity to get rich when he meets a big-sized girl named Tillie Banks (Marie Dressler).He wants to elope with her so he could have the fortune of her father (Mack Swain).Mabel Normand plays The Other Girl, beautiful and villainous.Mack Sennett's Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) was the first feature-length comedy.It was made in the time when Chaplin was just a new-comer in the field of comedy and was only looking for his style.Nevertheless this is a good comedy, even though it's not near Chaplin's best stuff.Other actors aren't left in Chaplin's shadow.That goes especially for Marie Dressler.She's truly funny in this movie.This movie has some great moments.For the silent movie fans this is a little treat.