The Idle Class (1921)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

25 September 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

Chaplin plays a tramp who sneaks into a upper class golf resort. The tramp meets a rich woman (Edna...

Plot Keywords:

Golf | Costume Ball | Mistaken Identity | Suit Of Armor | Horseback Riding

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Vanity Fair (USA)

Runtime:

32 min | Spain:29 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

The film was made by First National Pictures.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Big Show (1923)

One of Chaplin's lesser-known gems

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.