It is funny how public taste changes through the years. One comedy routine can be received with tremendous applause one year and be considered completely dated just a few years later. In March, 1914, Motion Picture News wrote of HIS FAVORITE PASTIME: "If there is an audience somewhere which does not roar with laughter while watching this comedy, then the minds of this audience are hardly in a defensible state." But although Chaplin always was proud of the fact that his comedy by common agreement remained "timeless," I'd be surprised if this one-reeler ran along all that well if screened to an audience today.
(*SPOILERS*) Chaplin appears in his famous outfit, but as my fellow-reviewers have pointed out, he is completely unrecognizable as "The Tramp" in terms of behavior. The entire story could be summarized by a single sentence, really: a highly intoxicated Charlie causes havoc at the bar of which he is quickly thrown out; outside, he is attracted to a woman and follows her by the streetcar while she takes a cab; he finally breaks into her house, only to wake the hostess of the house, who beats him up along with the husband of the pretty woman. (*SPOILERS END*)
Seen through the eyes of today, only a few bits of comedy stand out; one nice moment occurs when Charlie somersaults from a balcony to land in sitting position on a sofa inside, but most of the comedy presented here is probably hard to grasp to anyone not really familiar with the Keystone-universe, how its inhabitants interacted and behaved; and even if you are familiar, the film will probably stand out as quite mediocre in any case. To be sure, at this point Chaplin was still appearing in films made by others, and it is well reported that the comedian went through quite a difficult time with director George Nichols, who strictly believed in the "old methods" and responded unenthusiastically to Chaplin's suggestions. This, added by Chaplin's own inexperience with film, didn't make circumstances good for creativity.
All this being said, however, I would like to point out that it is important to not only put HIS FAVORITE PASTIME into context regarding the circumstances under which it was made, but also under an historical context. This film is not the film to begin an acquaintance with Chaplin's work, but there is one tiny fact we must keep in mind, whether we like it or not: although there might be little amusement to be found here for anyone alive in 2007, the mentioned Motion Picture News-review confirms that HIS FAVORITE PASTIME did apparently offer plenty of laughs in 1914; and that was, quite certainly, Chaplin's intention when he appeared in this film. Nowadays filmmakers are likely to hope that their products will still be talked about a century from now, as more than a hundred years of experience with film has proved that some movies actually do achieve public interest that long. However, when HIS FAVORITE PASTIME saw release, movies had just recently become an industry; nobody imagined that these rough things would be available on a marvel called DVD generations later. A film was made to entertain there and then and in that respect, HIS FAVORITE PASTIME clearly fulfilled its purpose. As for Chaplin's performance here, whose crude nature makes for quite a contrast to his far more likable, sentimental character of just a year or two later, I'll admit that I find the Tramp of the Keystone-period to often be quite hilarious, even when he is as unrefined as seen here. He is such a selfish, determined and insensitive little fellow, but Chaplin even here equips him with a certain gracefulness and rhythm that makes his mere appearance plain funny, once you get used to it.
I'm saying it for the last time now: HIS FAVORITE PASTIME is not a memorable film, but it did amuse the parents of your parents or even the parents of your parents of your parents, and that, I think, is the most relevant thing. It should also be noted that the copy I possess is not in good shape, and it could be that a thorough restoration would put it in a somewhat better light.
LATER UPDATE--sure enough, BFI/Flicker Alley's 2010-reconstruction of HIS FAVORITE PASTIME makes it a more enjoyable film. As it turns out, some scenes and bits of comic business had been cut from the rusty copy of the film I'd previously watched, and while none of the cut material transforms the film into anything approaching a masterpiece, it did make me chuckle a few more times. Even here, Chaplin's pantomime is often rather subtle compared to the supporting players surrounding him.
(*SPOILERS*) Chaplin appears in his famous outfit, but as my fellow-reviewers have pointed out, he is completely unrecognizable as "The Tramp" in terms of behavior. The entire story could be summarized by a single sentence, really: a highly intoxicated Charlie causes havoc at the bar of which he is quickly thrown out; outside, he is attracted to a woman and follows her by the streetcar while she takes a cab; he finally breaks into her house, only to wake the hostess of the house, who beats him up along with the husband of the pretty woman. (*SPOILERS END*)
Seen through the eyes of today, only a few bits of comedy stand out; one nice moment occurs when Charlie somersaults from a balcony to land in sitting position on a sofa inside, but most of the comedy presented here is probably hard to grasp to anyone not really familiar with the Keystone-universe, how its inhabitants interacted and behaved; and even if you are familiar, the film will probably stand out as quite mediocre in any case. To be sure, at this point Chaplin was still appearing in films made by others, and it is well reported that the comedian went through quite a difficult time with director George Nichols, who strictly believed in the "old methods" and responded unenthusiastically to Chaplin's suggestions. This, added by Chaplin's own inexperience with film, didn't make circumstances good for creativity.
All this being said, however, I would like to point out that it is important to not only put HIS FAVORITE PASTIME into context regarding the circumstances under which it was made, but also under an historical context. This film is not the film to begin an acquaintance with Chaplin's work, but there is one tiny fact we must keep in mind, whether we like it or not: although there might be little amusement to be found here for anyone alive in 2007, the mentioned Motion Picture News-review confirms that HIS FAVORITE PASTIME did apparently offer plenty of laughs in 1914; and that was, quite certainly, Chaplin's intention when he appeared in this film. Nowadays filmmakers are likely to hope that their products will still be talked about a century from now, as more than a hundred years of experience with film has proved that some movies actually do achieve public interest that long. However, when HIS FAVORITE PASTIME saw release, movies had just recently become an industry; nobody imagined that these rough things would be available on a marvel called DVD generations later. A film was made to entertain there and then and in that respect, HIS FAVORITE PASTIME clearly fulfilled its purpose. As for Chaplin's performance here, whose crude nature makes for quite a contrast to his far more likable, sentimental character of just a year or two later, I'll admit that I find the Tramp of the Keystone-period to often be quite hilarious, even when he is as unrefined as seen here. He is such a selfish, determined and insensitive little fellow, but Chaplin even here equips him with a certain gracefulness and rhythm that makes his mere appearance plain funny, once you get used to it.
I'm saying it for the last time now: HIS FAVORITE PASTIME is not a memorable film, but it did amuse the parents of your parents or even the parents of your parents of your parents, and that, I think, is the most relevant thing. It should also be noted that the copy I possess is not in good shape, and it could be that a thorough restoration would put it in a somewhat better light.
LATER UPDATE--sure enough, BFI/Flicker Alley's 2010-reconstruction of HIS FAVORITE PASTIME makes it a more enjoyable film. As it turns out, some scenes and bits of comic business had been cut from the rusty copy of the film I'd previously watched, and while none of the cut material transforms the film into anything approaching a masterpiece, it did make me chuckle a few more times. Even here, Chaplin's pantomime is often rather subtle compared to the supporting players surrounding him.