The Immigrant (1917 film)
- Charles Chaplin: Man
- Edna Purviance: Woman
- Eric Campbell: headwaiter
- Albert Austin: Guest
- Henry Bergman: painter
- Kitty Bradbury: Mother
The Immigrant (Original Title: The Immigrant ) is an American comedy film from the year 1917 Charles Chaplin embodied in this short film his famous figure of the nameless vagabonds. . The film premiered on June 17, 1917 in the United States. In Germany the film in an eighty minute compilation was with five other short films under the title of laughter forbidden to see for the first time on 10 December 1954 at the cinema. In 1998, the film was added to the National Film Registry.
Action
A steamer crossing the Atlantic Ocean. To emigrants on board with the goal of United States. One of the nameless immigrants spends time with food and cards and differs from seasick passengers. He meets a woman who wants to travel to the States with her sick mother. He has pity on the poor women and secretly put his winnings from the card game in the handbag of a woman. Unfortunately, he is seen doing and accused of pickpocketing. However, the woman can explain the facts and evidence of the innocence of the man. Until the arrival in America, the two stay together.
Arm and hungry touches the man later through the streets. He finds a coin and goes into a restaurant. There he ordered to beans. Here he meets his friends from the ship and learns that her mother has died. Even for the woman he ordered a meal. During the meal, they pay attention to the burly head waiter. With a few other waiters, he carried out a guest who has not enough money for his account there.
The frightened man looking for his piece of money, but he is appalled states that it has disappeared through a hole in his pocket. But even as he plans the feared battle with the waiter, he finds another coin on the floor. He gives the waiter the coin however sees as fake. Again the man prepares mentally before a fight with the waiter. But he is interrupted by an artist who wants to hire him and the woman as models. Accept the two, the painter also wants to settle the score of the two. However, for shame the man rejects this. The painter pays his own account and submit a tip for the waiter on the table. The man recognizes that the tip would be enough for his bill. He manages to take the tip in itself, without the painter notices it and gives the waiter the money. Here he gives the waiter the change, a small coin, are as a tip. Before a registry office, he promises the shy and hesitant woman marriage and contributes to closing the laughing woman in the office.
Criticism
David Robinson describes the film in his book Chaplin: His life, his art as a " comic masterpiece, its ironic and satirical qualities are present even after 70 years. "
Background
A scene of the film in which Chaplin takes a immigration officer, was regarded as proof of Chaplin's anti -Americanism. At the beginning of the McCarthy era, he traveled for the premiere of his film spotlight to London. Due to a process of " subversive activities", brought by the former head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, he was forbidden to return to the United States.
Edna Purviance was Chaplin's then preferred Actress: No other woman came so often ( 35 times ) in Chaplin's films like them. Also, the Scot Eric Campbell was often seen in Chaplin's films; A total of 11 times he played the evil counterpart Chaplin. This film was his penultimate. Henry Bergman played until 1936 again in Chaplin's films, after which he was hired as a production assistant for the film The Great Dictator.