HIS NEW JOB (1915)

Her bum

His bum

Title: His New Job
Year: 1915
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Format: Blu-ray
Label: BFI

Notes: Chaplin's first film for the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company is a mildly amusing slapstick affair concerning Chaplin's character's attempt to make his way in the world of film production. I think it's the earliest meta-film I've seen.

Obviously this is a very early production in the career of Chaplin but his chops as a filmmaker are evident. The action and editing are brisk and there are even a few nice shots where the camera moves - either slow dolly shots or zooms.

Chaplin isn't playing The Tramp in this film and his character is primarily a vehicle for mischievousness. As the two screen grabs I've included here suggest, a lot of the humour is derived from interactions with other characters' rear ends! Pretty enjoyable overall.