After a few years of slapstick, Charlie Chaplin's movies took a more serious turn in 1921. He continued making comedies, but they now looked at social class. "The Kid" focused on a father and son in the ghetto, while "The Idle Class" contrasts rich and poor. Chaplin depicts the Tramp - having gotten a free ride on a train - sneaking into a golf course and messing with the lives of the rich snobs. I guess that it's sort of a precursor to "Caddyshack". And of course, the dual role is something that he later did in "The Great Dictator". It's a fun romp with ample social commentary. Also starring are Mack Swain (Big Jim in "The Gold Rush"), Al Garcia (the steel mill boss in "Modern Times"), Edna Purviance (Chaplin's occasional co-star at the time; Penelope Ann Miller played her in Richard Attenborough's movie about Chaplin) and Lita Grey (Chaplin's future wife).
Review of The Idle Class
