In 1917, immigration in America lit the fire of a widespread xenophobic sentiment leading to the infamous "Immigration Act" that barred the road to such undesirables as "criminals", "anarchists", "homosexuals", "beggars" or "feeble-minded persons". In a fitting coincidence, the same year, Charles Chaplin made "The Immigrant", if not the best, the most prophetic of what would become one of Cinema's most valuable and influential talents.Given the historical context of the "Immigration Act", one must wonder in which "category" the Tramp would have fallen had he existed: he's naive, quite atypical, broke, and the way he kicks one of Ellis Island's agents is such an equivocal image that it would be used by the HUAC to demonstrate Chaplin's Anti-Americanism. Yet the film doesn't make obvious statements regarding immigration: in the steamer that crosses the Atlantic in the beginning, there are pickpockets, gamblers and cheaters, probable criminals but there are also decent and honest people as well. And ultimately, there is the Tramp.In simpler words, without immigration, the world wouldn't have discovered Charlie Chaplin, and that was enough a reason to make a film about the subject. "The Immigration" was Chaplin's first self-immersion into his own creations when the Tramp ceased to be a vagabond coming from nowhere and going anywhere, he and Chaplin would make one. It's a turning point in Chaplin's body of work as every film would echo a part of his own history. Yet, despite its serious undertones, the film is light-hearted not to deprive the theme from its gravity, but maybe because immigration carried positive feelings like ambition, solidarity and hope for brighter futures. "The Kid" would cover more solemn subjects."The Immigrant" is divided in two acts: the first is set in the ship, the second in a restaurant. Through a laudable effort of mise-en-scene and storytelling, Chaplin manages to pull these two parts together so they don't feel disjointed. The first sequence shows a steamer crossing the Atlantic, full of archetypal emigrants: bearded men with towering hats, and heads-carved women. It's moving as it depicts a part of America's history still recent at that time, and simultaneously, it creates a funny contrast with the moderately exotic Tramp: his presence among the immigrants is enough to bring the first laughs.At the arrival in New York, the sight of the Statue of Liberty rewards the patience of these people who underwent persecutions, poverty, hunger and probably the worst of all, seasickness. The 'boat' part is the more emotionally and politically charged, and in its way, it elevates the film above the standards initially set by Chaplin. The Ellis Island part even reminds of "The Godfather Part II", without the sepia tones. Still, Chaplin knows that the audience expect laughs, that the transition between comedy and drama shall not be abrupt, hence the slapstick use of the boat's movements (that maybe inspired these Tex Avery gags where characters felt sick by watching a random sea-picture going up and down).And this running gag foreshadows the use of moving objects in Chaplin's humor, from the blizzard blowing people away in "The Gold Rush", to the elevating chairs in "The Great Dictator". Other hints, more serious this time, of his later works are present through the character of the Girl (Edna Purviance) with her ill mother. The Tramp wins some money after a card game, and surreptitiously put his win in the girl's pocket, ignoring that it came from the man who stole her. This is the typical example of Chaplin's humanity: helping without expecting recognition; it's "City Lights". And naturally, it's the perfect plot device so that, victim of his own generosity, he arrives is New York, with a full heart and empty pockets.The second part is more of a sketch, but this is not to diminish it. Chaplin goes to the restaurant, not noticing that the coin he found on the street went through the hole in his pocket. He meets the poor little immigrant who just lost her mother and to complete the picture, there is the big and burly waiter played by Eric Campbell, Chaplin's archenemy, in one of his last roles. Campbell is equal to Chaplin, almost stealing the show as the waiter who violently ejects a poor client short of 10 cents. The violence only serves the gags, when Chaplin realizes he doesn't have the money and tries to hide it from the waiter, watch the body language of the two actors, you could tell there was a great complicity between both. It's not only funny, but it's probably one of the few comedy moments relying on a form of thrilling suspense.The ending is a bit rushed, but the essential was there, promising greater films to come. If not the best or the most memorable of his films, with its share of gags, and its serious undertones; it's one of Chaplin's most defining works, especially regarding the context of the film. 1917 wasn't only the year of the Immigration Act, it was the pinnacle of WWI, while the Bolshevik revolution planted the seeds of a New Order. Only a director like D.W. Griffith could embody the transformations that Modernity was applying to the world, in sweat, blood and tears. "The Immigrant" doesn't have the epic scope of "Intolerance", not even the pretension to compete with "The Birth of a Nation", but within its own simplicity, the film highlights the birth of a new talent, not of an actor, but of a director.Indeed, if Charlie Chaplin is my favorite movie director, it's less because I believe he is the best, but because I believe his contribution to cinema as an artistic art form has never been equaled, not in his lifetime, not even after. The revolution he brought up in 1917 relies less on technicality than a particular skill in terms of storytelling in the way they vehicle a wide range of emotions in one single scene.

The Immigrant (1917) **** (out of 4) Terrific comedy from Charles Chaplin has him playing an immigrant who arrives in America and soon finds himself in trouble after trying to impress a woman (Edna Purviance) he met and fell in love with on the boat trip over. Of all the shorts Chaplin directed in his career, I think this one here is the best of the bunch because it's just sweet perfection from start to finish and I think it hit upon several things that would appear in his classic features and that's the ability to mix heart and comedy. There are so many highlights in this movie that I think it would be impossible for anyone not to laugh. We get off to an extremely fast start on the ship with a very funny scene where Chaplin catches a fish, throws it on board and then it ends up biting an innocent man. This is followed by a classic sequence where it's dinner time and it's hard to get a bite because the boat is rocking so bad. The comic timing in this sequence is just so perfect that it's easy to see why the director would shoot so long. Once on shore is pure magic as the tramp finds some money and goes into a store to get something to eat but of course the coin falls out of his pocket and he's in trouble. If you've seen the documentary UNKNOWN CHAPLIN then you'll remember the restaurant sequence and how it was broken down to show what a genius Chaplin was. This entire sequence is just so perfect in regards to its execution that it's really amazing that anyone was smart enough to pull it off. THE IMMIGRANT is pure magic from start to finish and it ranks of one of Chaplin's best films.

Chaplin had just gained release from Essanay and had control over this production. It resulted in one of his most subtle and funny short films, with much less of the pointless slapstick of his earlier, less shaped work. There are really one two scenes. Chaplin's tramp is on a ship bringing immigrants to America and meets Edna Purviance, his real-life main squeeze. Next, Chaplin, with no money to speak of, finds himself in a restaurant facing the mean, monumentally gigantic form of waiter Eric Campbell.Well, Chaplin does a marvelous job with difficult material. I mean, the material must be difficult when the humor (and sentiment) has to depend on action without any dialog -- and without simple-minded pratfalls.There is a sequence involving a coin that's been dropped on the floor that's as carefully choreographed as any dance involving Gene Kelly and Debby Reynolds in "Singin' In The Rain." So many people claim that Charlie Chaplin was a genius that I can almost believe it. But I wouldn't go that far. I'd just say he's very talented.

I have the Charlie Chaplin (the Little Tramp) Collection of 5 DVDs, from Passport Video, since long time ago however, and I really feel stupid for that, I have only a few of Chaplin short films. Well, the last weekend I watched and really liked a couple of Harold Lloyd short films (Bumping Into Broadway and An Eastern Westerner) and basically I just thought, "well, what I am waiting, let's watch some Chaplin shorts". The Immigrant is so much fun, divided in two parts this 25 minutes film shows Chaplin first on board and later, when he finally is in the Land of Liberty, at a restaurant. It is the American dream for the little tramp but he will find nothing but hard times. Previously he had an odd trip and we can't argue that, we enjoy some of his "adventures" on board meeting some people and of course one of them will join him in America. Between them, the tramp and the girl, we watch good moments in difficult times, the tramp as always being kind but sometimes not very kind. The girl is having not only the hard time of being on board with a dream in mind, the dream of founding a new place where the things can be a little better but maybe everything will be just that, a dream. So apart of that her mother is sick and both need some help. For her fortune the tramp is there not only to show us how you can eat when the tide is making things a little complicated but also to be kind with the girl. To begin he helps the girl to get some food however the problems are bigger when the mother of the girl is stolen. But again the kind and realistic tramp is there to put a smile in the girl's pretty face. After the mentioned incidents of the tramp and the girl it was going to be impossible for both not to recognize the other if they meet again now in solid ground. And when they are at the restaurant is when the funniest part begins. There all the personality of Chaplin's character is shown, to begin he is again the helper of the girl and we will watch a very strange and understandable behaviour of the tramp, you know he and the girl eating and he without a cent. Simply hilarious; probably the sequence that resumes this tramp is when the artists arrives to their table. The tramp has been "fighting" to get some money and he knows what happens when a client can't pay (in the Harold Lloyd short film Bumping Into Broadway we watch a similar scene for a similar case, in both our protagonists sees the person who they owe beating a man in their same situation) but he refuses the help of the artist. He ends paying with the money of the artist (with the tip that the artist left) however nobody but us knows that. Look at Chaplin when the waiter realizes that the tramp actually could afford the food. And the tramp even ends as a very kind man since he even left a tip to the waiter, he did what the waiter doesn't, simply great and very funny to end with the tramp and the girl together.Right now I can't really write that The Immigrant is one of the best short films that Chaplin made since I have seen only a few however I can write that this is a very recommend short film that I really liked.