U.S.A.Length: 72 minutes
Director: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite, Georgia Hale
Eric's Impressions: Another masterpiece by the greatest film director/producer/writer/actor of the first half of the 20th century and early film pioneer, Chaplin delivers cinematic gold here, no pun intended. Though I prefer "City Lights," I can understand why Chaplin most wanted to be remembered for this one because it's a history lesson, love story, statement on mankind and belly-aching comedy all rolled up into one. It features some of Chaplin's greatest sequences and shows that a decade into his American film career, he was really hitting his stride across the board in all of his artistic pursuits.
Natalie's Impressions: Only Chaplin can make high comedy out of starvation and greed. Whether or not this is a right and noble ability, I am not going to say, but apparently Chaplin thought it was because he declared this film was the one by which he most wished to be remembered. But I do believe it takes a certain amount of talent, confidence and dedication to even be comically inspired by something as devastating as the Donner Party disaster. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film, besides the famous boot cooking and dancing bread rolls, is the sheer elaborateness of the sets and camera work. The studio recreation of the Sierra Nevadas looks as real as the actual mountains, both of which are featured in the film. Although not my absolute favorite Chaplin picture, I would happily watch it over and over again.
COUNTDOWN: Just 978 movies to go!
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