Meanwhile, Alum and his accomplices (Keaton and Joe Bordeaux) attempt to kidnap Almondine. After another fight breaks out between Fatty and Alum, Fatty is taken by the school's principal Miss Teachem to a separate room to be punished. Unfortunately, Alum has the same idea and masquerades, too, as a female student. The resulting mayhem includes small bags of flour being hurled and "exploding", pies being tossed, and brooms being wildly swung amid the thick clouds of flour lingering in the air.ĭetermined to marry Almondine, Fatty disguises himself as a female cousin and follows her to an all-girls boarding school. Their confrontation in the store soon involves a customer (Buster Keaton) as well as Grouch. John), a rival for Alice's affections, starts a fight with the rotund butcher. Fatty's attempts to get close to her are sidetracked when the store's clerk Alum (Al St.
#BUSTER KEATON MOVIES DIRECTED SERIES#
This was the first in Arbuckle's series of films with the Comique Film Corporation, and Keaton's film debut.įatty, a butcher boy in a country store, is in love with Almondine (Alice Lake), the daughter of the store's general manager Mr. 5 stars out of 5.The Butcher Boy is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Al St. The pairing is usually the most memorable part of this production to most, but the story and the deep emotional part that Chaplin plays are the things that make "Limelight" quite possibly Chaplin's greatest cinematic masterpiece. Chaplin's long-time rival in real-life (Buster Keaton) even shows up late and acts as a partner in the duo's stage routine. This is a stunning work that once again shows the humanity and overall sensitivity that Chaplin had with his movies.
In many ways Chaplin was trying to show the viewing public his life in celluloid form and "Limelight" would be the vehicle used. The Little Tramp was no more, all movies had sound, some films were being made in color and the subject matter of motion pictures was slowly starting to change. Chaplin's life and career had changed dramatically by 1952. "Limelight" is one of the most dramatic and intense pictures I have ever encountered. Soon it becomes obvious that Chaplin's time is running out and his desperation to have that one last piece of action engulfs his mind, body, heart and soul. Chaplin has a dream of a stunning performance he has on the stage, but when his act ends there is no one there to acknowledge him (one of, if not the saddest sequences I have ever seen on film). He tries with all his might to get her performance-ready again, all the while he is also trying to resurrect the career that he lost long ago. Naturally Chaplin cannot believe that this young, beautiful and talented woman would rather take her life than be a ballet performer (the fact that Chaplin yearns for her youth and the ability to be an entertainer again makes him bound and determined to get her back on her feet). Chaplin discovers a very young ballet dancer (Claire Bloom) who has attempted suicide because she cannot handle being a performer. He is now an elderly man (in his 60s when the film was made) and the spotlight is gone forever, even though he still secretly yearns for it. Chaplin stars as a washed-up vaudeville performer. soil and did not re-surface until some 20 years later in 1972 and Chaplin actually won an Oscar, with fellow scorers Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell, for this movie's original dramatic score (this was the only competitive Oscar Chaplin ever won). in 1952 and was never shown in Los Angeles due to the suspicion that the House of Un-American Acts Committee had concerning Chaplin (making no sense to me as Chaplin, who was British, was the polar opposite of a Communist from all indications). It played in very few cities within the U.S.
Haunting and unforgettable piece from Charles Chaplin that was nearly lost in the American cinema all together.
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