By the late summer of 1914, Chaplin's confidence as a film director and performer seemed to be well established. Though still a newcomer in the medium, he had developed a sharp understanding of the essential mechanics of motion pictures remarkably fast. His films were never below the average Keystone-standard as far as I'm concerned, and some are easily among the funniest things produced at the company during this period, THE ROUNDERS being a good example. It's strict "drunken act comedy," with obvious borrowings from Chaplin's years in the music halls, but does not feel like a filmed stage routine; certain bits could only have worked well on film.
Neighbors and pals Charlie and Roscoe (of "Fatty Arbuckle"-fame) arrive home in drunken condition, leading to heavy arguments with their respective wives. They soon hurry out again, and decide to stay over at the local bar for the night. They are hastily thrown out of the bar as well, however, and as their wives have begun a search for their husbands, our heroes seek peace in a row-boat at a nearby lake. There, they fall asleep while the boat sinks; whether they ever wake up again remains unconfirmed. Through this very simple and much-used premise, Chaplin and Arbuckle manage to come up with many funny bits; Roscoe using a cloth as his feather-bed while trying to get asleep at the bar is one highlight. The two work perfectly as a comedy team, and only the absence of well-defined personalities (they are both quite vulgar and drunk) makes a comparison with Laurel & Hardy a bit far-fetched.
Years later, Roscoe Arbuckle is reported to have said that he regretted to not have appeared in more films with Chaplin than these loud and fast Keystone-films. Even so, the two did turn out together at least one of the funnier films Chaplin appeared in during that single year of 1914. Not a masterpiece, quite loud and somewhat vulgar, but pretty amusing. (This review has later been somewhat revised and updated, Dec. 2012)
Neighbors and pals Charlie and Roscoe (of "Fatty Arbuckle"-fame) arrive home in drunken condition, leading to heavy arguments with their respective wives. They soon hurry out again, and decide to stay over at the local bar for the night. They are hastily thrown out of the bar as well, however, and as their wives have begun a search for their husbands, our heroes seek peace in a row-boat at a nearby lake. There, they fall asleep while the boat sinks; whether they ever wake up again remains unconfirmed. Through this very simple and much-used premise, Chaplin and Arbuckle manage to come up with many funny bits; Roscoe using a cloth as his feather-bed while trying to get asleep at the bar is one highlight. The two work perfectly as a comedy team, and only the absence of well-defined personalities (they are both quite vulgar and drunk) makes a comparison with Laurel & Hardy a bit far-fetched.
Years later, Roscoe Arbuckle is reported to have said that he regretted to not have appeared in more films with Chaplin than these loud and fast Keystone-films. Even so, the two did turn out together at least one of the funnier films Chaplin appeared in during that single year of 1914. Not a masterpiece, quite loud and somewhat vulgar, but pretty amusing. (This review has later been somewhat revised and updated, Dec. 2012)