Shoulder Arms (1918)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

20 October 1918 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Plot:

Charlie is a boot camp private who has a dream of being a hero who goes on a daring mission behind enemy lines.

Plot Keywords:

Capture | Gas Mask | Behind Enemy Lines | Limburger | Espionage

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	Recruit
Edna Purviance	...	French girl
Syd Chaplin	...	Sergeant / The Kaiser (as Sydney Chaplin)
Jack Wilson	...	German Crown Prince
Henry Bergman	...	Fat German sergeant / Field Marshal von Hindenburg
Albert Austin	...	U.S. soldier / German soldier / Kaiser's chauffeur
Tom Wilson	...	Training camp sergeant
John Rand	...	U.S. soldier
J. Parks Jones	...	U.S. soldier (as Park Jones)
Loyal Underwood	...	Short German officer

Runtime:

46 min | 36 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (1959 re-issue) | Silent

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

Many in Hollywood were nervous that one of their most famous peers was going to tackle the subject of WWI. It was released shortly before the Armistice so it did not help boost national morale. But it did end up as one of Charles Chaplin's most popular films and it was particularly popular with returning doughboys.

Goofs:

Continuity: Charlie, disguised as a tree, enters a pipe to escape a German. When the German tries to pull Charlie out he seperates the lower part of the tree costume along with Charlie's shoes. When Charlie emerges from the other end of the pipe he is still wearing shoes.

Quotes:

Officer: How did you capture thirteen?
Recruit: I surrounded them.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cineastes en acció (2005)

Magnificent

This is one of Chaplin's First National films from the period between his glorious Mutual shorts and the more mature United Artists features. More opulent than the Mutual films, it continues Chaplin's quest for perfecting his comic expression. Most people forget that the film is actually a dream that Charlie has while awaiting being sent off to the front.

There is plenty of slapstick via the Limburger cheese being used to gas the enemy, and Chaplin's foray into enemy territory dressed as a tree.

By this stage in this career, the great man had become so immersed in filmic expression that his films give the impression of making themselves. Doubtless this was not the case, but still, it gives as convincingly realistic view of life at the front as I can remember, albeit from an ironically humorous perspective.

As far as I am concerned, familiarity with the entirety of Chaplin's work should be a prerequisite for all cinephiles - do not delay!