Chaplin time at Essanay is a collection of some of his definitive films. Landmarks about the way Chaplin made us laugh, made us cry, connected with the personal and people in the crowd. Chaplin’s icons come to the fore, making us see for ourselves his talent in all of this.  The Champion is a high point of the small guy standing up to the challenge and making it his. The tramp is the film that made a cinematic icon, made cinema history and made Chaplin more than real. The Bank is a comedy about work and the jerks within the workplace. A night in the show is a delight of farce and fun that makes you smile and shine.

I studied Chaplin for my degree and in truth so much has been said it is hard to find a unique place but here goes. Chaplin was a beacon of hope. He was a shimmering comedic performer but he was also a human that took up the stand for his fellow human. These films are a select bunch of gems, middle of the road fun and two films that are less than his best. Delightful in their way but for some these would have dated to the point of despair. For me they haven’t and this is just because I understand that film is not just colour, sound and from the post 1970’s.  The films are excellent but have been around before yes and this is also a fair objection. They did not look as good as they do now and that is my stance as a film lover that the new versions deserve time and purchasing. They look stunning and clean to the eye and just before they have the score shine. The prints being restored deserve to be idolised and they are well worth it.

Films:

• His New Job
• A Night Out
• The Champion
• In the Park
• A Jitney Elopement
• The Tramp
• By the Sea
• His Regeneration
• Work
• A Woman
• The Bank
• Shanghaied
• A Night in the Show
• A Burlesque on Carmen
• Police!
• Triple Trouble

Special fetaures:

• All films fully restored and presented in High Definition
• Charlie Chaplin: The Long Year at Essanaay (2016, 23 mins): newly recorded video essay presented by writer and broadcaster Glenn Mitchell
• Charlie’s Triple Trouble (c1944,15 mins): the re-released British version of Chaplin’s 1918 films triple Trouble
• A Burlesque on Carmen (1951, 36 mins): containing additional footage filmed after Chaplin’s departure from Essanay. This version features commentary by comedian Peter Selleers, which was used for the films British re-release
• Charlie Butts In (c1920, 10 mins): short compilation of out-takes and alternative shots from Chaplin’s 1915 film A Night Out
• Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Frank Scheide, new writing by Glenn Mitchell and Vic Pratt, and full film credits

USA | 1915 -1916 | black and white | silent, with English intertitles and music | 402 minutes | original aspect ratio 1.33:1 Cert U (contains mild comic violence) | BD50 x 2 | 1080p | 24fps | PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/214-bit) | region B Blu-ray