It’s what appears to be the late nineteenth century and a slew of Europeans, and their families, travel across the Atlantic Ocean toward the United States. As they travel, a man, known only as Immigrant (Charlie Chaplin), finds himself in a series of unappealing situations. As the immigrant attempts to see himself out of these precarious situations and into an exhilarating new land, where he will be able to procure a better life for him and those he loves, he finds himself in a never ending series of problematic encounters. The Immigrant adds humor to the endlessly stressful situation of traveling to America for the first time, while trying to accurately educate audiences on the anxiety involved.
As the fourth installment in Chaplin’s series of films promised to the Mutual Film Company, The Immigrant tells the story of just that, an immigrant. However, with Chaplin in charge, audiences are sure to be in for a series of blunders, comical challenges and brilliant takes on the lives of those who did everything they could to travel to America. Chaplin’s artistic twist on the journey from [insert location here] to America opens viewers' eyes (especially upon its initial release in 1917) to the sacrifices made by those attempting to better their lives.
The Immigrant lands differently than other Chaplin-led films. It becomes clear early on, and proven to be true as the story progresses, that The Immigrant is one of the slower, less humorous performances by Chaplin. This stems from what appears to be his intention to do more than entertain, but educate. While Chaplin is still able to present audiences with his standard slapstick style comedy, he seems to step back from this and present it in a more subtle way than is typical for him. The Immigrant struggles to convey the length of the journey to America, but it seems that Chaplin has understanding enough to bring to light that those who chose to travel to the United States were giving up more than just their homes.
While framed as a comedy (and who would expect anything else from Chaplin), The Immigrant expresses the hard times that befell those travelers, including losing a part of themselves, their heritage and their individuality. Their struggles with money are a prominent theme throughout, and, as everyone knows, money struggles are some of the worst problems a person can endure. Chaplin’s brilliant comic twists are able to supersede the awkwardness and the disgust embedded in the troubles of the immigrants and allows viewers the ability to feel comfortable with what is taking place. This may not seem like the right approach when presenting what certainly became tragic circumstances, but every choice Chaplin makes is tasteful and effective. Keeping things light gives the audiences the opportunity to absorb everything being thrown at them without feeling overwhelmed with the hardships. Keeping viewers engaged through comedy is a brilliant way to ensure that the messages present in The Immigrant get across to those watching.
It’s hard to describe Charlie Chaplin as anything other than a genius, especially when he is capable of translating his comedy into something even more genuine like he does in The Immigrant. From the opening moments, even when audiences are made immediately aware of the fact that they would be getting a slightly different Chaplin than usual, comedy and history collide in a passionate and beautiful way. The Immigrant entertains and educates in a way that doesn’t feel forced, but still effectively presents its point.
Written & Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin, Henry Bergman, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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