The Pilgrim (1923)

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

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Edna Purviance, Charles Chaplin, Syd Chaplin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edna Purviance	...	The Girl
Charles Chaplin	...	The Pilgrim
Syd Chaplin	...	Eloper / Train Conductor / Little Boy's Father (as Sydney Chaplin)
Mai Wells	...	Little Boy's Mother (as ?)
Dean Riesner	...	Little Boy (as Dinky Reisner)
Charles Reisner	...	Crook (as Chuck Reisner)
Tom Murray	...	Sheriff
Kitty Bradbury	...	Girl's Mother
Mack Swain	...	Large Deacon
Loyal Underwood	...	Small Deacon
Henry Bergman	...	Sheriff on Train / Man In Railroad Station

Storyline

When Charlie escapes from prison he dons a preacher's clothes. By mistake he becomes the new minister for the town of Devil's Gulch. Later, discovered as the convict, the sheriff takes Charlie to the Mexican border where he can choose to return, a convict, or face Mexican bandits at war with each other.

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Plot Keywords:

escaped convict | church | preacher | fugitive | mistaken identity | 

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Taglines:

4 Great Reels

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

A zarándok

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

40 min 39 min (re-release) (1950s) 40 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Connections

Featured in Seeing Stars (1922)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Bound for Texas"
(1971)
Words and Music by Charles Chaplin
Sung by Matt Monro (as Matt Monroe)

User Reviews

Good for the Soul

Chaplin originally planned "The Pilgrim" as a two-reel short, but it expanded to a four-reel feature. When comparing it to his films at Mutual or before, it's evident how far Chaplin had come with his First National pictures: he took his time elaborating and extending fewer gags and set pieces and in developing the plot and characters. His First National films may not always be as continually uproarious as his Mutual ones, but they are, I think, more satisfying and affecting.

"The Kid", deservedly his most beloved First National release, greatly strained Chaplin's relationship with the distributors. He would leave yet another company to continue in his evermore-ambitious efforts. Jeffrey Vance, in "Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema", makes an interesting observation: he points out that Chaplin plays an escaped prisoner in both his last Mutual film, "The Adventurer", and in this film, his last First National release. They both reflect the filmmaker's escape from confining contracts.

There's some light satire on a religious community and parody of Westerns, and Chaplin gets plenty of mileage out of the common mistaken identity device. I didn't find any of the gags particularly memorable, but the hilarity is sustained throughout the film. "The Pilgrim" is, as religion can be, uplifting.