The Pilgrim (1923)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

26 February 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Tagline:

4 Great Reels

Plot:

The Tramp is an escaped convict who is mistaken as a pastor in a small town church.

Plot Keywords:

Escaped Convict | Church | Preacher | Fugitive | Mistaken Identity

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	The Pilgrim
Edna Purviance	...	Miss Brown
Kitty Bradbury	...	Mrs. Brown, Edna's Mother
Syd Chaplin	...	Eloper / Train Conductor / Little Boy's Father (as Sydney Chaplin)
Mack Swain	...	Deacon
Mai Wells	...	Little Boy's Mother
Dean Riesner	...	Little Boy (as Dinky Reisner)
Loyal Underwood	...	Elder
Charles Reisner	...	Howard Huntington, Crook (as Chuck Reisner)
Tom Murray	...	Sheriff Bryan
Henry Bergman	...	Sheriff on Train / Man In Railroad Station

Runtime:

59 min | Germany:39 min (re-release) (1950s)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

The bratty boy was played by Dean Riesner, associate director Charles Reisner's son. In later years, Dean recounted how he did not want to slap Charles Chaplin's face, even though the story called for him to do so. So Chaplin and his brother/co-star Sydney Chaplin continually slapped each other's faces to convince Riesner what fun it was.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)

One of Chaplin's very best!

The Pilgrim is one of the great silent comedies. Perhaps not as profound, as The Gold Rush, The General or The Kid Brother, it is nevertheless one of Chaplin's best shorts. Well it goes for four reels so its between a short film and a feature-length film. Chaplin plays an escaped convict who disguises himself as a parson and from then on, allow our beloved Charlie take you on a wonder ride as always with his brilliant comedies. Today, The Pilgrim isn't as famous as Chaplin's other movies, however, its one of his most loved among the legion of fans that it has. Chaplin reissued the film in 1959 with his own score but don't be too impressed by the sound recording of the score. Considering it was 1959, the sound recording is terrible. I don't know what the recordists had on their mind while working on the score. Even Chaplin's score for The Gold Rush in 1942 has better sound and that film was rightfully nominated for best sound recording at the academy awards. Anyway besides that, the new restoration of The Pilgrim is quite good and it's a must see.