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| ~Work~ 1915 |
| ~Edna Purviance & Charles Chaplin~ |
| ~Charles Chaplin & Charles Insley~ |
| ~Plot Synopsis~ |
Work, Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Essanay casts Charlie as a wallpaper-hanger's assistant who must
pull the wagon containing the boss (Charles Insley) and all his gear through the city streets and up some
imposing hills (created by using tilted camera angles). Charlie is little more than a beast of burden and
must do all the work when they arrive at a wealthy couple's (Billy Armstrong and Marta Golden) home.
The woman of the house suspects the workers of being dishonest when she catches Charlie admiring a
small statue, and she locks up her valuables in a safe. This prompts Charlie to "lock up" his and his boss's
watches and cash by pinning them into his pants pocket. Charlie proves to be an inept decorator, making
a huge mess and causing his boss to get a bucket of wallpaper paste over his head. He befriends Edna
Purviance, the maid, and in a rather intimate scene, tells her his story and his hopes for the future. The
wife's lover, Leo White arrives, but when he sees that the husband is still home, he pretends to be a
workman. The husband is wise to the dodge and attacks his wife's lover, eventually pulling out a
revolver and chasing him around the house. A stray bullet hits the gas stove which explodes, partially
burying everyone. In the famous last scene, Charlie emerges from the inverted oven door, exhales some
smoke, and, sizing up the situation, smiles into the camera.
Plot Synopsis from allmovie.com
pull the wagon containing the boss (Charles Insley) and all his gear through the city streets and up some
imposing hills (created by using tilted camera angles). Charlie is little more than a beast of burden and
must do all the work when they arrive at a wealthy couple's (Billy Armstrong and Marta Golden) home.
The woman of the house suspects the workers of being dishonest when she catches Charlie admiring a
small statue, and she locks up her valuables in a safe. This prompts Charlie to "lock up" his and his boss's
watches and cash by pinning them into his pants pocket. Charlie proves to be an inept decorator, making
a huge mess and causing his boss to get a bucket of wallpaper paste over his head. He befriends Edna
Purviance, the maid, and in a rather intimate scene, tells her his story and his hopes for the future. The
wife's lover, Leo White arrives, but when he sees that the husband is still home, he pretends to be a
workman. The husband is wise to the dodge and attacks his wife's lover, eventually pulling out a
revolver and chasing him around the house. A stray bullet hits the gas stove which explodes, partially
burying everyone. In the famous last scene, Charlie emerges from the inverted oven door, exhales some
smoke, and, sizing up the situation, smiles into the camera.
Plot Synopsis from allmovie.com
| Written & Directed by: Charles Chaplin |
| ~Cast~ Charles Chaplin ...Izzy A. Wake's assistant Charles Inslee ...Izzy A. Wake, Paperhanger Edna Purviance ...Maid Billy Armstrong ...The Husband Marta Golden ...The Wife Leo White ...The Secret Lover Paddy McGuire ...The Plasterbearer |
| ~Remaining Credits~ Production Company: The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company Distribution Company: General Film Company Producer: Jess Robbins Cinematography by: Harry Ensign & Roland Totheroh Film Editing by: Charles Chaplin Assistant Director: Ernest Van Pelt Scenic Artist: E.T. Mazy Length: 2 Reels Runtime: 20 Minutes Released: June 21, 1915 |
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Other Links That You Might Find Helpful to you for this film:
imdb.com - general information (data base form)
allmovie.com - plot synopsis
imdb.com - general information (data base form)
allmovie.com - plot synopsis