Behind the Screen (1916)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1916 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Charlie is an overworked labourer at a film studio who helps a young woman find work even while his coworkers strike against his tyrannical boss.

Plot Keywords:

Strike | Boss | Dynamite | Movie Set | Romantic Kiss

Cast

Eric Campbell	...	Goliath (a stagehand)
Charles Chaplin	...	David (Goliath's assistant)
Edna Purviance	...	The girl

Also Known As:

The Pride of Hollywood (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

15 min | Argentina:30 min | Germany:24 min (restored version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Lone Star Studio - 1751 Glendale Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lone Star Corporation

Movie Connections:

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

Excellent short comedy in which Charlie Chaplin satirizes his own craft.

Chaplin plays the part of David, the lowly assistant to the oafish stage hand Goliath, and as is to be expected, everything goes wrong in the most hilarious ways. Being an early short Chaplin comedy, a good portion of the comedy is slapstick, with such elaborately acted scenes as the one with the stage pillar prop that just would not seem to stand up.

Poor David works like a slave for the lazy Goliath, but at first, he just keeps messing things up - he just can't seem to do anything right. But later, when he starts working really hard and doing things right, his boss always walks in just as he sits down to rest, and he gets into trouble for loafing on the job, and Goliath, who spends most of his time sleeping, gets all of the credit for David's work.

Not only does this film satirize the falsity of film and stage, but it also goes into actual filming, in the surprisingly effective pie throwing scene. Eventually, all of the workers go on strike, leaving only David and Goliath on stage and, as is common in Chaplin's films, he ends up the victor as a result of some inadvertent events concerning a trap door and a lot of guys fighting. The ending of this film is unusually violent for a generally light Chaplin comedy, but the comedic value is never diminished.