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The Idle Class (1921)
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Overview
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Director:
Writer:
Charles Chaplin (writer)
Release Date:
25 September 1921 (USA)
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Plot:
Chaplin plays a tramp who sneaks into a upper class golf resort. The tramp meets a rich woman (Edna...
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One of Chaplin's lesser-known gems
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Charles Chaplin | ... | Tramp and Husband | |
| Edna Purviance | ... | Neglected Wife | |
| Mack Swain | ... | Her Father | |
| Henry Bergman | ... | Sleeping Hobo / Guest in Cop Uniform | |
| Al Ernest Garcia | ... | Cop in Park and Guest | |
| John Rand | ... | Golfer and Guest | |
| Rex Storey | ... | Pickpocket and Guest | |
| Lillian McMurray | ... | Maid | |
| Lita Grey | ... | Maid | |
| Loyal Underwood | ... | Guest | |
| Mrs. Parker | ... | Guest | |
| Lolita Parker | ... | Guest | |
| Howard Olsen | ... | Guest | |
| Edward Knoblock | ... | Guest | |
| Granville Redmond | ... | Guest |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Vanity Fair (USA)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
32 min | Spain:29 min
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Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film was made by First National Pictures.
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Goofs:
Plot holes: The movie begins with "The Summer Season" and yet the telegraph the absent minded husband holds at the beginning is dated November 2.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Big Show (1923)
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (13 total)
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In the spring of 1978, a few weeks after the death of Charlie Chaplin, a museum in my hometown scheduled a festival of his films. On the bill were several of the famous features such as THE KID, as well as some comparatively obscure short comedies. That's where I first saw THE IDLE CLASS, and I still remember how well it went over with the audience, provoking big bursts of laughter that seemed to erupt every 30 seconds or so. Even viewers who'd already seen lots of Chaplin's short comedies (myself included) were blown away by this one, which was both laugh-out-loud funny and poignant in equal measure.
Seeing the film again today I feel that it belongs with Chaplin's very best work. The first thing that strikes me now is the economy of expression he employed. Note how few intertitles there are, and how brief and simple the wording is. It isn't easy to set up a story plainly and clearly in silent cinema without using lengthy expository passages, at least during the opening scenes, but in THE IDLE CLASS Chaplin managed to set up the premise with remarkable efficiency and very few words in a matter of minutes. We quickly learn that Chaplin is playing a dual role, and that one of his characters is a wealthy sot while the other is his usual Tramp character. Within minutes we learn that Charlie the Tramp has hitched a ride to a resort for the Idle Rich, apparently in order to play golf [!?!!], which brings him into close contact with his feminine ideal, Edna, and her wealthy friends and relations. The irony that Edna is already married to a rich drunk who is Charlie's double (and who is selfish and unworthy of her) is not heavily emphasized, nor is the fact that practically all of these privileged people appear to be quite spoiled and useless. "Political" elements are present in THE IDLE CLASS for anyone who feels inclined to look for them [or to write a dissertation about Chaplin and Society], but this movie isn't really about social inequality, it's about laughter, and the gags are in generous supply, brilliantly conceived and beautifully performed.
Earlier postings have mentioned the bit when the rich husband, seen from behind, appears to be sobbing when he learns his wife has left him-- although in fact he's shaking a cocktail. I think that's one of Chaplin's all-time best gags, and it sure rocked the house at the museum screening. Even funnier is the extended sequence in which the rich husband, obviously nursing a hangover, absent-mindedly goes to the lobby of his hotel in his underwear and must maneuver his way back to his room without being seen. Also worth noting is a great, wordless sequence in which Charlie the Tramp sees Edna ride by on horseback, and fantasizes about rescuing her from a runaway horse. Her gratitude turns into love, and within seconds they've married and Charlie's fathered her child! It's hilarious and a little sad, a brief story-within-a-story told without any words whatsoever.
I'll sum up by simply saying that THE IDLE CLASS is a timeless, low-key comic masterpiece, certainly one of Charlie Chaplin's best films, and that it's a genuine treat for anyone who appreciates great comedy.