Plot: What’s it about?
The Chaplin Revue is not a motion picture in the usual sense, instead it is a compliation of some of Charles Chaplin’s short cinematic works. So we’re treated to A Dog’s Life, Shoulder Arms, and The Pilgrim, edited together with some narrative exposition, which creates a feature length look at the genius of Chapin. The premise sounds solid, but in order to ensure an acceptable time duration, the shorts have been trimmed. This means that we miss out on valuable content on all three shorts, which is bad news. I own Image Entertainment’s releases of A Dog’s Life and A First National Collection, which house the complete, uncut editions. So if you don’t want to miss over half an hour of material, you’ll want to track down Image’s discs on Chaplin. As this Chaplin Revue version lacks the entire short films, I am left with little to recommend. Of course, Chaplin is fun to watch and what is here is good, but as movie buffs, we want the whole picture. The extras are solid, but in the end, without the complete short films within The Chaplin Revue, I am forced to recommend Image’s discs over Warner’s new edition. I have included a brief synopsis below for each of the three short films featured within The Chaplin Revue.
1. A Dog’s Life- Chaplin stars as his famous Little Tramp character, with an unusual costar, as he is joined by a canine. His costar is different, but the story is the same for this tramp, as he ends up in one mess after another. His attempts at romance fall short, as do his repeated efforts to just stay out of trouble. His loyal dog even lands his owner in hot water at times, so the tramp never has a second to relax here. Will anything ever go right for the tramp, even something small, or has his life really gone to the dogs?
2. Shoulder Arms- This movie finds Chaplin as the Little Tramp, but this time around, the hopeless tramp has been enlisted. In the trenches, the tramp has take up arms and defend freedom, but can he survive his own mistakes? Of course, he manages to cause all kinds of trouble and mishaps, though his intentions are always good. When all is said and done, can the tramp prove he is a soldier and hold his own in the trenches?
3. The Pilgrim- In this film, Chaplin plays an escaped convict with nowhere to run, so he has to come up with a plan to blend in. He manages to obtain a pastor’s clothes, which he dons and hopes his new look will allow him to avoid suspicion. The outfit does let him keep out of the police’s vision, but he is still noticed by some locals. His new holy look has fooled a church’s parish, as he is asked to step in and minister to the people. He does so in order to keep out of sight, but with plans for a new crime, how long will the charade last?
Video: How does it look?
The Chaplin Revue is presented in full frame, as intended. This second wave of Chaplin DVDs from Warner all look and sound about the same, but that is good news, to be sure. The print has been cleaned up a lot, so debris and grain are minimal at worst. I saw a nick here and there, but for a film of this age, the print looks quite impressive indeed. The restoration has also yielded a more refined visual presence, so the image has more depth and detail than most previous editions. No worries with contrast either, as black levels perform well and never disappoint. Not all the news is good however, as the usual PAL to NTSC conversion errors are present, as with the other Warner Chaplin releases. Not as bad as in some cases, but there and worth a mention.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is about the same as on the other Warner Chaplin releases, so I have ported over my comments. A new Dolby Digital 5.1 option is included here, which I think could be overkill in this case, but I know some of you are surround sound addicts. The material has signs of age, but the pops, hiss, and distortion prove to be infrequent. So no, there hasn’t been extensive restoration work done, but good source elements have been used. The mix has a more natural, pleasant texture than expected, given the limits of the material and such. But by the same token, don’t expect too much, as the material isn’t dynamic by nature. I still prefer the original mono soundtrack, which is also found here, but for those who need surround sound, this is a solid presentation. This release also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Thai, just in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The audio here is about the same as on the other Warner Chaplin releases, so I have ported over my comments. A new Dolby Digital 5.1 option is included here, which I think could be overkill in this case, but I know some of you are surround sound addicts. The material has signs of age, but the pops, hiss, and distortion prove to be infrequent. So no, there hasn’t been extensive restoration work done, but good source elements have been used. The mix has a more natural, pleasant texture than expected, given the limits of the material and such. But by the same token, don’t expect too much, as the material isn’t dynamic by nature. I still prefer the original mono soundtrack, which is also found here, but for those who need surround sound, this is a solid presentation. This release also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Thai, just in case you’ll need those.
