The mutual lives of the two Chaplin-brothers Charlie and Sydney, and how choices each brother made affected the other, are worthy of an examination on their own. It was the elder Sydney who'd got Charlie hired in Fred Karno's music hall troupe, securing Charlie's first rise to stardom; on the other hand, it was Charlie's eventual meteoric success in films at Keystone which had made said studio's boss, Mack Sennett, interested in Sydney. Although eventually treated by history as an (albeit significant) anecdote to the life of his younger brother, Sydney starred in quite a few successful Keystone-films during 1914-15 in his own right. GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST serves as a pretty representative piece of work to anyone eager to check out his brand of comedy in those years. Although of a slightly more robust physique than his brother, the costume with the hat, moustasche and large trousers derives from the same comedy tradition. He is an entirely one-dimensional character here, only interested in drink and gals, but he makes it funny.
If you've seen a few Keystone-films, you'll grasp the essence of this one in a hurry; Sydney had appeared in another two-reeler called CAUGHT IN THE PARK just a couple of months before, and GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is a strikingly similar comedy. As the former film, this one is set entirely in a park, providing little in terms of story but plenty of situations for the performers to come up with gags. Sydney Chaplin serves as the inevitable center of attention. Being an experienced star comedian from music hall, he arguably appears more focused in his performances than many of his contemporaries; much like Charlie, he is often at his funniest when allowed to halt the frantic action for a moment, to do a gag or two on a smaller scale. One example on this here includes the part where he is about to give his wife a much-needed sip of liquor after a car accident, only to take the sip himself instead even so, he considerately wipes her mouth with a napkin. Another bit has Syd performing a mindless, but funny prank on his sleeping wife involving a balloon.
Gags such as the ones above could easily have been performed by Charlie in the same period, and implicate why both Chaplins stood out from the rest, so to speak. There's lots and lots of other activity going on as well, involving Sydney's nagging wife Phyllis Allen, Eddie Cline as a Kop, Keystone beauty Cecile Arnold, and the rightfully jealous boyfriend of the latter woman, Slim Summerville. Adding to the madness is a determined T-Ford as well as, for some reason, a real leopard (one should keep in mind that TV and channels like National Geographic didn't exist at this point, so to witness an exotic animal like this in a comedy film in 1915 must've been quite a treat). However, despite amusing bits of business, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is still rather standard farce, on the whole. Had this been a one-reeler I wouldn't have given a thought to the total absence of a story, but expectations get higher once we deal with two reels. While any fan of silent comedy is apt to find some measure of enjoyment watching this one, the individual bits would probably have benefited from a somewhat more tightly choreographed entirety. A story as such may not be necessary, but all of the best films at Keystone at least provided a well-established premise, which is lacking in this film. I also found the final gag to be rather macabre (won't reveal it here).
Sydney's brother Charlie had, by comparison, abandoned Keystone a few months prior to this film, and already begun to experiment with hints of pathos and character development in his most recent films at Essanay Studios. It has been suggested that Syd took his work less seriously than Charlie; even so, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST clearly showcases a very talented comedian and pantomimist.
If you've seen a few Keystone-films, you'll grasp the essence of this one in a hurry; Sydney had appeared in another two-reeler called CAUGHT IN THE PARK just a couple of months before, and GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is a strikingly similar comedy. As the former film, this one is set entirely in a park, providing little in terms of story but plenty of situations for the performers to come up with gags. Sydney Chaplin serves as the inevitable center of attention. Being an experienced star comedian from music hall, he arguably appears more focused in his performances than many of his contemporaries; much like Charlie, he is often at his funniest when allowed to halt the frantic action for a moment, to do a gag or two on a smaller scale. One example on this here includes the part where he is about to give his wife a much-needed sip of liquor after a car accident, only to take the sip himself instead even so, he considerately wipes her mouth with a napkin. Another bit has Syd performing a mindless, but funny prank on his sleeping wife involving a balloon.
Gags such as the ones above could easily have been performed by Charlie in the same period, and implicate why both Chaplins stood out from the rest, so to speak. There's lots and lots of other activity going on as well, involving Sydney's nagging wife Phyllis Allen, Eddie Cline as a Kop, Keystone beauty Cecile Arnold, and the rightfully jealous boyfriend of the latter woman, Slim Summerville. Adding to the madness is a determined T-Ford as well as, for some reason, a real leopard (one should keep in mind that TV and channels like National Geographic didn't exist at this point, so to witness an exotic animal like this in a comedy film in 1915 must've been quite a treat). However, despite amusing bits of business, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is still rather standard farce, on the whole. Had this been a one-reeler I wouldn't have given a thought to the total absence of a story, but expectations get higher once we deal with two reels. While any fan of silent comedy is apt to find some measure of enjoyment watching this one, the individual bits would probably have benefited from a somewhat more tightly choreographed entirety. A story as such may not be necessary, but all of the best films at Keystone at least provided a well-established premise, which is lacking in this film. I also found the final gag to be rather macabre (won't reveal it here).
Sydney's brother Charlie had, by comparison, abandoned Keystone a few months prior to this film, and already begun to experiment with hints of pathos and character development in his most recent films at Essanay Studios. It has been suggested that Syd took his work less seriously than Charlie; even so, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST clearly showcases a very talented comedian and pantomimist.