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IMDbPro

The Immigrant

  • 19171917
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
  • Short
  • Comedy
  • Drama
Charlie is an immigrant who endures a challenging voyage and gets into trouble as soon as he arrives in America.Charlie is an immigrant who endures a challenging voyage and gets into trouble as soon as he arrives in America.Charlie is an immigrant who endures a challenging voyage and gets into trouble as soon as he arrives in America.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Writers
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Vincent Bryan(uncredited)
    • Maverick Terrell(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Edna Purviance
    • Eric Campbell
Top credits
  • Director
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Writers
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Vincent Bryan(uncredited)
    • Maverick Terrell(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Edna Purviance
    • Eric Campbell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 49User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos98

    Charles Chaplin, Kitty Bradbury, and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin, Kitty Bradbury, and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    "The Immigrant Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance 1917 Image Entertainment
    "The Immigrant Charlie Chaplin 1917 Image Entertainment
    Eric Campbell, William Gillespie, and James T. Kelley in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin, Henry Bergman, and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin, Henry Bergman, and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)
    Eric Campbell in The Immigrant (1917)
    Charles Chaplin, Eric Campbell, James T. Kelley, and Edna Purviance in The Immigrant (1917)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • Immigrant
    Edna Purviance
    Edna Purviance
    • Immigrant
    Eric Campbell
    Eric Campbell
    • Head Waiter
    Albert Austin
    Albert Austin
    • Russian…
    Henry Bergman
    • Artist
    Kitty Bradbury
    • Edna's mother
    Frank J. Coleman
    Frank J. Coleman
    • Bearded cheating gambler…
    William Gillespie
    William Gillespie
    • Café violinist
    Tom Harrington
    • Marriage registrar
    James T. Kelley
    James T. Kelley
    • Shabby man in restaurant
    John Rand
    John Rand
    • Tipsy diner
    Janet Sully
    • Passenger
    • (as Janet Milly Sully)
    Loyal Underwood
    Loyal Underwood
    • Pint-sized passenger
    Tom Wilson
    Tom Wilson
    • Gambler on ship
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Vincent Bryan(uncredited)
      • Maverick Terrell(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene in which Charles Chaplin's character kicks an immigration officer was cited later as "evidence" of his anti-Americanism when he was forced to leave the United States during the McCarthy "Red Scare" period in the 1950s.
    • Goofs
      When the ship arrives in New York harbor, it is moving in a southward direction as indicated by the passing view of the Statue of Liberty, but a ship arriving in New York would be heading north, not south.
    • Quotes

      Title Card: The arrival in the Land of Liberty.

    • Alternate versions
      Henry Bergman was originally cast as the Head Waiter and extensive footage was shot before Chaplin recast the role with Eric Campbell. This unused footage appeared in the documentary series The Unknown Chaplin, along with bloopers and alternate takes from this film. A 1960s 8mm home movie release of this film was retitled "Broke" and contained most of the Restaurant sequence, from the Tramp entering the establishment, to realizing he has no money and seeing the Head Waiter beat up a non-paying customer. After the advent of sound, the film was reissued with sound effects added.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Charlie Chaplin Festival (1941)

    User reviews49

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Out of the cattle boat, endlessly rocking
    This legendary comedy stands as one of Charlie Chaplin's great achievements, a seamless blend of humor, romance, suspense and social commentary, all packed into an 18-minute running time! It's especially impressive when you consider that only three years earlier Chaplin was a complete novice at movie making, cranking out reels of often crude and chaotic slapstick for Mack Sennett. But in The Immigrant, Chaplin displays a self-assured command of contemporary film-making skills (i.e. cinematography, editing, and basic story structure) equal or superior to that of the era's top directors. Most impressive of all is Charlie himself: his iconic character is in full bloom, fresh and funny and full of life. He's a marvel, and a joy to watch.

    The first half of this film is set on the sort of beat-up, wildly rocking cattle boat that served as passage to America for an entire generation of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it's certain that many of the people who saw The Immigrant when it was new could relate to the experience first-hand. Charlie is one of a large group of voyagers, seemingly of Eastern European origin (although this is never specified) emigrating to the United States. Some viewers may find the humor in these scenes vulgar, what with the relentless sea-sickness motif. The very first shot of the film suggests that Charlie is already suffering from a violent bout of mal-de-mere, although a surprise twist reveals we've jumped to the wrong conclusion. Whether you find these gags amusing or not, they're based on harsh reality only slightly exaggerated for comic effect; after all, before he was famous Chaplin himself came to America with the Fred Karno comedy troupe in a boat not unlike the one seen here, and his memory of that experience must still have been fresh -- unpleasantly so.

    In any event, the highlights of the shipboard sequence include Charlie's attempts to navigate the slick floor of the dining hall, his meeting with Edna and her mother, and a game of cards with fellow passengers, including one burly guy with a very bad temper. The first half closes with one of Chaplin's most famous gags: as the immigrants get their first view of the Statue of Liberty the camera lingers for a moment on their expressions, at which point they are suddenly pushed back behind a rope line and then herded through customs like cattle by brusque, uniformed officials. As this takes place, Charlie sneaks a quick look back at the horizon, as if wondering whether Miss Liberty is really out there after all, and then he manages to give one of the rude officials a swift kick. A most satisfying moment, that.

    The second half of The Immigrant takes place in a restaurant, and this sequence is a comic tour-de-force in and of itself. Charlie, hungry and broke, enters the restaurant thinking he has at least enough money to pay for an order of beans and a cup of coffee. When he realizes he's mistaken about his ability to pay, his prime objective is to escape the wrath of enormous waiter Eric Campbell, who is almost as menacing here as he was playing the bully in Easy Street. Campbell is a huge factor (so to speak) in making this sequence work so beautifully, as he had a knack for portraying comic villainy in a way that was both funny and genuinely frightening; Charlie's fear at what may happen if he fails to pay his check feels very believable. The many ingenious devices Charlie contrives to avoid facing the music make up the rest of the show, and as the suspense mounts the gags get funnier. (It was interesting to learn from the documentary "Unknown Chaplin" that this sequence was written and filmed first, and that the lead-in material on the boat was devised afterward.) It's in the restaurant that Charlie also reunites with his shipboard sweetheart Edna. Their relationship feels natural, touching, and real, and provides this wonderful comedy with an appropriately poignant finale.
    helpful•26
    4
    • wmorrow59
    • Aug 21, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 1917 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • A Modern Columbus
    • Filming locations
      • Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Lone Star Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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