A Woman (1915)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

12 July 1915 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

Mother, Father and Daughter go to the park. The women dose off on a bench while the father plays a hide-and-seek game with a girl...

Plot Keywords:

Father | Park | Hide And Seek | Female Impersonator | Drag

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	Gentleman / 'Nora Nettlerash'
Edna Purviance	...	Daughter of the House
Charles Inslee	...	Her Father
Marta Golden	...	Her Mother
Margie Reiger	...	Father's Lady Friend
Billy Armstrong	...	Father's Friend
Leo White	...	Idler in the Park

Also Known As:

Charlie the Perfect Lady (USA)
The Perfect Lady

Runtime:

20 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | Canada:G (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G

Company:

Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, The

Trivia:

This is the last time Chaplin appears on screen without a mustache (because he is in drag), until Limelight (1952).

Movie Connections:

Featured in Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)

Simple, But Works Pretty Well

While much of this is fairly simple comedy, it's interesting and worth watching for a couple of reasons. The first half is a slapstick sequence that could have come from any number of Chaplin's early short features, but it is a little better than average for knockabout slapstick, because the timing is generally pretty good and the situation is developed enough to make it amusing. The second half, for which the movie is better known, focuses on Charlie's appearance as "A Woman", and it is carried off pretty well. Unlike many such sequences, it doesn't try to get more out of the situation than is there, so it works pretty well. Overall, this movie is a little better than average among Chaplin's earlier short comedies.