I just finished watching this at the Internet Archive, a 71-minute version, and I'm very glad I finally did. I'm a devoted silent movie fan and first heard of this movie when I was a "little" younger around age 10. ;-) lol
Yes, certainly it's worthy from a historical standpoint, but not just because it was the first full-length comedy. What stood out most to me was the great chemistry between Chaplin and Dressler. She was great! Plus I never dreamed she was so agile (as with her dancing), for lack of a better term. She held her own against the younger Chaplin, and I wish they would've made at least one more movie together.
So yes, while it wasn't Chaplin's best movie, with some scenes seemingly going on too long or being too repetitive, I think it's still worth at least one viewing by anyone who is a big silent movie fan. Just think... there's no visual record of the very first opera or the very first Shakespearean play, but we have a complete history of the motion picture from its inception, which I think's quite cool.
Yes, certainly it's worthy from a historical standpoint, but not just because it was the first full-length comedy. What stood out most to me was the great chemistry between Chaplin and Dressler. She was great! Plus I never dreamed she was so agile (as with her dancing), for lack of a better term. She held her own against the younger Chaplin, and I wish they would've made at least one more movie together.
So yes, while it wasn't Chaplin's best movie, with some scenes seemingly going on too long or being too repetitive, I think it's still worth at least one viewing by anyone who is a big silent movie fan. Just think... there's no visual record of the very first opera or the very first Shakespearean play, but we have a complete history of the motion picture from its inception, which I think's quite cool.