Recreation (1914)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Release Date:

13 August 1914 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Charlie is walking in the park. A girl leaves a seaman on one bench and joins Charlie on another. The seaman wakes up...

Cast

Charles Chaplin

...

Tramp

Also Known As:

Spring Fever

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

Keystone Film Company

Trivia:

Released as a split reel along with the documentary The Yosemite (1914).

Improvisation doesn't always equal inspiration

On the set of MODERN TIMES in the mid-1930s Charlie Chaplin spoke wistfully to journalist Gilbert Seldes about how, in his early days making movies, he'd simply go to the nearest park with a cop and a pretty girl and they'd make up the story as they went along. RECREATION looks very much like the kind of film he was waxing nostalgic about: it's a rudimentary little sketch involving a rivalry between Charlie and a sailor over the sailor's girl. The fighting begins almost immediately, many bricks are thrown, cops get involved, and everybody ends up in the lake. It certainly looks improvised, but all it amounts to is slapstick mayhem. If there'd been a script for this movie, it would read: "Throw Brick. React. Hide Behind Tree. Grimace. Throw Brick," etc. etc. Spontaneity is the main thing RECREATION has going for it. I can understand why the older Chaplin was feeling sentimental about his early days, but the fact is, MODERN TIMES is a great film while this one isn't. To put it another way, middle-aged nostalgia for youthful spontaneity is all well and good, but there's also a lot to be said for craftsmanship. The Chaplin who made MODERN TIMES was an experienced craftsman, but the young guy who cranked out RECREATION in a park one day was still only an apprentice learning his trade, and the results are slight. Another drawback: none of the familiar Keystone players are in the supporting cast, so there's no Mabel, no Roscoe, no Chester Conklin or Edgar Kennedy for us to enjoy. The other actors in this movie aren't very interesting, and the sailor in particular is a real ham.

There is one nice little moment, however: Charlie picks up (yet another) brick to hurl at his rival the sailor, but is interrupted when a cop comes along, catching him as he's about to wind up and pitch. Smoothly, instead of throwing the brick, Charlie acts as if he's examining it, appraising its condition, and then he wipes it off carefully and returns it to its original spot. In that brief bit, just for a few seconds, Chaplin demonstrates his characteristic finesse and makes this little movie worthwhile.