Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		5.0

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 5, 2015

"Chaplin's Essanay Comedies 1915" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Flicker Alley and the Blackhawk Films Collection. Bonus features include a new restoration of "Triple Trouble", a short film edited by Essanay without Chaplin's approval, and a new restoration of "Charlie Butts In", a one-reel film assembled from alternate takes of the original version of "A Night Out". The release also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet featuring film historian and author Jeffrey Vance's essay "Essanay-Chaplin Brand", rare behind-the-scenes images, and technical credits. Region-Free.

Charlie Chaplin in a scene from His New Job

The five-disc set (two Blu-rays and three DVDs) features a total of 14 short films which Charlie Chaplin made while under contract with the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. Also included is an early short film by Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, in which Chaplin had only a cameo appearance. Each of these short films has been recently restored in 2K by Lobster Films and Cineteca di Bologna.

The films are very interesting to analyze as the evolution of Chaplin’s art is quite impressive. In His New Job, for instance, the Tramp’s body movement is minimal at best and his interaction with the supporting actors remains fairly balanced. There aren’t any close-ups of his face either. In A Night Out there are also numerous important segments without the Tramp. The more elaborate the gags become, however, the easier it is to see the star qualities of the Tramp. There are more and more seemingly casual moves and quick facial expressions that instantly change a sequence and leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

The Tramp’s ability to quickly earn the viewer’s sympathy is striking. In the feature films there is plenty of time to develop relationships and convey specific feelings and emotions which ultimately make it easier to connect with the viewer (City Lights is a perfect example). In the short films this is done over a few uneven segments where the Tramp typically faces a formidable opponent or tries to impress a beautiful young woman who seems interested in someone else. Nevertheless, the sense of intimacy that exists in the feature films is also present in majority of the short films.

Perhaps the most obvious discrepancy between the short films and the feature films is in terms of camera positioning and movement. In the short films the technical limitations are obvious and there are only a few that attempt to surprise (see Work). Also, there are very few gags that are done with numerous actors and use elaborate sets.

The majority of the short films in the collection are presented with music composed by Robert Israel. A few films also have composed by Rodney Sauer and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra as well as music composed by Timothy Brock and performed by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra.

BOX SET CONTENT:

Disc One:

1. His New Job
Released: February 1, 1915.
Running time: 28:39.

2. A Night Out
Released: February 15, 1915.
Running: Time: 27:09.

3. The Champion
Released: March 11, 1915.
Running Time: 30:54.

4. In the Park
Released: March 18, 1915.
Running Time: 13:53.

5. A Jitney Elopement
Released: April 1, 1915.
Running Time: 24:46.

6. The Tramp
Released: April 12, 1915.
Running Time: 26:25.

7. By the Sea
Released: April 29, 1915.
Running Time: 14:03.

8. His Regeneration
Released: May 7, 1915.
Running Time: 14:52.

9. Work
Released: June 21, 1915.
Running Time: 28:12.

Disc Two

10. A Woman
Released: July 12, 1915.
Running Time: 23:01.

11. The Bank
Released: August 9, 2015.
Running Time: 25:02.

12. Shanghaied
Released: October 4, 1915.
Running Time: 27:26.

13. A Night in the Show
Released: November 15, 1915.
Running Time: 24:15.

14. Burlesque on Carmen
Released: April 10, 1916.
Running Time: 31:08.

15. Police
Released: May 27, 1916.
Running Time: 25:44.

Bonus Films:

16. Triple Trouble
Released: August 11, 1918.
Running Time: 22:50.

17. Charlie Butts In
Running Time: 10:20.

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The films in the box set are encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfers. They are spread over two Blu-ray discs (with standard definition versions included on three separated DVDs).

Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:

Screencaptures #1-3: His New Job
Screencaptures #4-7: A Night Out
Screencaptures #8-10: The Champion
Screencaptures #11-13: In the Park
Screencaptures #14-16: A Jitney Elopement
Screencaptures #17-19: The Tramp
Screencaptures #20-22: By the Sea
Screencaptures #23-25: His Regeneration
Screencaptures #26-28: Work
Screencaptures #29-30: A Woman
Screencaptures #31-32: The Bank
Screencaptures #33-34: Shanghaied
Screencaptures #35-36: A Night in the Show
Screencaptures #37-38: Police

The films in the collection have been restored in 2K from various surviving elements that were accessed in archives around the world. The restoration work was carried out by Lobster Films and Cineteca di Bologna.

Generally speaking, the films now look very fresh and have drastically improved stability. Obviously, where multiple surviving elements were used to reconstruct a film some fluctuations in terms of depth and clarity remain, but it is very easy to see that plenty of work was done to offer the best possible organic presentation. Some of the most dramatic improvements are in the area of image stabilization -- transitions are typically very good; there are missing frames but the jumps are also handled as best as possible. There are sporadic contrast fluctuations, but the majority of the films actually have a well balanced appearance (the most obvious fluctuations exist where inferior elements were used to fill gaps). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Grain exposure and distribution do vary between different films, but it is clear that efforts were made to retain as much of the grain as possible. Also, there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Damage was carefully minimized. Minor scratches and thin vertical lines remain, but they never become overly distracting. Finally, there are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the films in the collection arrives with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The film also feature reconstructed English intertitles.

The films feature music by Robert Israel, music compiled by Rodney Sauer and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra), and music composed and conducted by Timothy Brock and played by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra.

Depth and clarity are excellent. Dynamic movement and balance are also impressive. Obviously, the range of nuanced dynamics on these tracks is modest, but the vibrancy and individual qualities of the winds, brass, and strings are wonderful. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Additional Films - presented here are two additional films, both restored by Lobster Films and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The text included below was provided by the producers of the collection.
  
  1. Triple Trouble (1918) - "The film was edited together by the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company without Chaplin's approval using unused footage shot by Chaplin for other productions. The film is included not as a document approved by Chaplin (who never agreed to such a patchwork production), but because of the authentic sequences that have been retained." With music by Robert Israel performed by the Robert Israel Orchestra. (24 min).
  
  2. Charlie Butts In - "The comparison between the different surviving elements lead to the conclusion that the one-reel version of A Night Out, distributed in the twenties and widely available in 16mm under the title Charlie Butts In, was actually assembled from different takes than the standard, two-reel version. It is unlikely that Chaplin, having left Essanay at the end of 1915, ever approved this new edit, but because it is a very different film, Charlie Butts In is included as an extra to the initial two-real version." With music by Robert Israel performed by the Robert Israel Orchestra. (11 min).

• Booklet - 28-page illustrated booklet featuring film historian and author Jeffrey Vance's essay "Essanay-Chaplin Brand", rare behind-the-scenes images, and technical credits.

Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a truly wonderful release. What we have here are the definitive versions of Charlie Chaplin's Essanay films which have been carefully reconstructed and beautifully restored. Kudos to Lobster Films and Cineteca di Bologna for their fantastic work and Flicker Alley and the Blackhawk Collection for making them available on Blu-ray in the United States. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.