THE IDLE CLASS (1921) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Charles Chaplin
Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Mak Swain,
Henry Bergman, Al Ernest Garcia, Lita Grey
Chaplin plays two roles: the Little Tramp and a wealthy alcoholic married to Edna Purviance. In the first half, the Tramp plays a round of golf without ever sinking a putt. In the second half, there's a gala masquerade where the rich guy gets stuck in a suit of armor and Edna mistakes the Tramp for her husband. Chaplin had a distracting habit now and then of looking directly into the camera, and you see him do that a few times here. Whether he's gazing at the lens, the audience, himself, or all three together, is hard to say.
