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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Chaplin's lesser-known gems, 29 August 2004
Author: wmorrow59 from Westchester County, NY

In the spring of 1978, a few weeks after the death of Charlie Chaplin, a museum in my hometown scheduled a festival of his films. On the bill were several of the famous features such as THE KID, as well as some comparatively obscure short comedies. That's where I first saw THE IDLE CLASS, and I still remember how well it went over with the audience, provoking big bursts of laughter that seemed to erupt every 30 seconds or so. Even viewers who'd already seen lots of Chaplin's short comedies (myself included) were blown away by this one, which was both laugh-out-loud funny and poignant in equal measure.

Seeing the film again today I feel that it belongs with Chaplin's very best work. The first thing that strikes me now is the economy of expression he employed. Note how few intertitles there are, and how brief and simple the wording is. It isn't easy to set up a story plainly and clearly in silent cinema without using lengthy expository passages, at least during the opening scenes, but in THE IDLE CLASS Chaplin managed to set up the premise with remarkable efficiency and very few words in a matter of minutes. We quickly learn that Chaplin is playing a dual role, and that one of his characters is a wealthy sot while the other is his usual Tramp character. Within minutes we learn that Charlie the Tramp has hitched a ride to a resort for the Idle Rich, apparently in order to play golf [!?!!], which brings him into close contact with his feminine ideal, Edna, and her wealthy friends and relations. The irony that Edna is already married to a rich drunk who is Charlie's double (and who is selfish and unworthy of her) is not heavily emphasized, nor is the fact that practically all of these privileged people appear to be quite spoiled and useless. "Political" elements are present in THE IDLE CLASS for anyone who feels inclined to look for them [or to write a dissertation about Chaplin and Society], but this movie isn't really about social inequality, it's about laughter, and the gags are in generous supply, brilliantly conceived and beautifully performed.

Earlier postings have mentioned the bit when the rich husband, seen from behind, appears to be sobbing when he learns his wife has left him-- although in fact he's shaking a cocktail. I think that's one of Chaplin's all-time best gags, and it sure rocked the house at the museum screening. Even funnier is the extended sequence in which the rich husband, obviously nursing a hangover, absent-mindedly goes to the lobby of his hotel in his underwear and must maneuver his way back to his room without being seen. Also worth noting is a great, wordless sequence in which Charlie the Tramp sees Edna ride by on horseback, and fantasizes about rescuing her from a runaway horse. Her gratitude turns into love, and within seconds they've married and Charlie's fathered her child! It's hilarious and a little sad, a brief story-within-a-story told without any words whatsoever.

I'll sum up by simply saying that THE IDLE CLASS is a timeless, low-key comic masterpiece, certainly one of Charlie Chaplin's best films, and that it's a genuine treat for anyone who appreciates great comedy.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Chaplin's Best Short Features, 15 March 2002
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

One of Charlie Chaplin's best short comedies, "The Idle Class" uses some of his favorite themes to very good effect. Charlie has a dual role, playing his usual 'tramp' character and also playing a rich idler. He thus sets up some identity confusion and also the kind of class contrasts that often set up some of Chaplin's best material. There are plenty of good gags in this one, and some memorable scenes, with the hilarious costume party sequence being especially good. This was one of Chaplin's last short comedies, and it is constructed very carefully, with excellent timing in the gags and in the plot. While in a much lighter vein than the full-length pictures he was then starting to make, it has the same level of craftsmanship and is very entertaining.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice short Chaplin, 2 February 2004
7/10
Author: TheOtherFool from The Netherlands

Another example of Chaplin's brilliance in film-making, this short work. Many of his favorite themes come along, such as several chases and a mix-up between him and 'the husband'(also played by Charlie). Best scenes include the one where 'the husband' reads a letter from his wife that he should drink less. We see him pick up a picture of her, then he starts shaking like he's crying... but he's just mixing another drink. That really cracked me up. The scenes on the golf course are also very funny and well-made. Then the movie slows down a bit with the ballroom-thing, but the ending is just the best: with Charlie kicking the father of 'the wife' right where he should... great scene! In short: good short Chaplin, though not up there with The Adventurer, The Tramp or Pay Day. 7/10.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Distinct Classes, 4 March 2004
Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico

The post-war period, until the depression, must have been a class-conscious period in America, with some people very rich and most others (eg., farmers) poor. Charlie is the tramp character so he's poor. The plot is said to have been developed by him after he wandered around the prop room and spotted a bag of golf clubs. The story is certainly simple enough. Chaplain finds himself on a golf course and a series of gags ensue, after which he's chased by a cop and runs into a mansion where a costume party is in progress. He's taken for the host, who is a ringer. The other guests believe that the host's tramp outfit is simply a costume for the party. The real host, meanwhile, is encased in a suit of armor whose visor has dropped and jammed shut so no one can see his face. Charlie gets out of it okay and ends the movie by kicking the security guard in the pants and running away.

To me, the funniest gag, in a movie filled with funny gags, has to do with Charlie as the real host. (He has a double role.) The high-class host is a drunk. In his natty evening dress, but without trousers -- don't ask -- he comes home to find a note from his wife. "I am taking up other quarters until you rid yourself of your drinking habit," says the note. Charlie reads it and slowly turns away from the camera and bends over a table, his shoulders racked with sobs. What remorse! But, no. When he turns again towards the camera we see he is matter-of-factly shaking a cocktail mixer! It's called a "garden path" joke, and it efficiently explodes our expectations.

It's hard to imagine how Chaplin could have found any humor in alcohol use, given his family history. His girl friend at the time, Edna Purviance, was to become bloated from alcohol abuse too.

Well, as I say, though, the story isn't much. It's really two stories: (1) the golf course sequence, and (2) the mixed identities at the costume party. Both of them are good. There's more slapstick in the second part and probably more gag continuity in the first.

I saw this only a few hours ago and I'm still laughing, enough to be compelled to add a description of one more joke. On the golf course, Charlie has hit a ball that lands in the open mouth of a fat man asleep on his back. As the fellow snores, the white ball appears and disappears in his mouth. How does Charlie manage to hit the ball again? He steps on the guy's belly, the ball pops a few feet up in the air, and he hits it in mid air using his golf club like a baseball bat. If the joke loses something in the course of its transposition into print, well, blame it on Charlie's "genius," in the original sense.

It's pretty consistently funny.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A lonely tramp, 24 April 2007
9/10
Author: Petri Pelkonen (petri_pelkonen@hotmail.com) from Finland

Charlie Chaplin is a poor tramp.Charlie Chaplin is a wealthy and alcoholic husband.Edna Purviance is his neglected wife.The poor tramp sneaks into a upper class golf resort.He finds himself from a masquerade with the neglected wife.The resemblance between the tramp and the wealthy husband makes her think the tramp is the husband.Charles Chaplin is the director, the producer and the writer of The Idle Class (1921).The master comedian does excellent job in double role.His leading lady Edna Purviance is wonderful as always.Then there are greats like Mack Swain and Henry Bergman.This silent short comedy has plenty of funny moments.It's hilarious when the wealthy husband tries to open the visor of his knight's costume.Or when the tramp is seated next to the neglected wife as her husband.This movie only proves the genius of Charlie Chaplin.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The most underrated Chaplin film?, 6 March 2004
Author: cfettweis from Columbus, OH

I did not think I would find silent films funny - amusing, maybe, but not funny - until I saw some of Chaplin's best work, like this film. I have now seen most of his films from 1915 through the end of the silent era, and in my view "The Idle Class" is one of the best, perhaps in part because it is not typically listed among his finest. The film is split roughly between a golf scene that dominates the first half, and a mistaken identity theme which dominates the second. "The Idle Class" avoids the sentimentality of "The Kid", which it is often teamed with in video/DVD release, opting instead for straight comedy - and is successful throughout. I defy anyone to recommend a funnier silent film.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Deceptive Doubling, 29 August 2005
Author: Cineanalyst

I think this is one of Charlie Chaplin's most clever and interestingly constructed shorts. Chaplin plays duo roles, as a wealthy drunkard and as his usual tramp. The doppelgänger, or doubles, device is common in movies and other media, for it may help reveal, among other things, the social commentary in a work, and it can add a self-reflexive dimension to a film.

'The Idle Class' seems to contain an undercurrent of social commentary, which is typical in Chaplin's films, but it doesn't seem too distinct to me. Our sympathies are supposed to lie with the tramp, I'm sure, but it's more in the way of a romantic quandary rather than criticisms on the behaviour of the rich, in favour of championing the lower classes. Sure, the rich husband is an alcoholic and neglectful of his wife, but he's not a very detestable character; nor is the tramp, who spends much of his screen time golfing, the pathetic underdog that Chaplin has drawn him to be elsewhere. They're both idle classes.

The self-reflexivity is probably less obvious, but it seems more complete to me. The two characters are reflections, which Chaplin makes clear by playing both of them. This doppelgänger aspect within the film corresponds with the reflective nature of film itself. That's simple enough and any filmmaker could do this unintentionally, but it seems to me that Chaplin does something with the idea. In 'The Idle Class,' Chaplin exposes the deceptive nature of the reflections that are motion pictures via the corresponding deceptions within the film: the mistaken identity situation and the sight gags. The humour of the no pants and mixing drink gags are based in what one sees and who's being deceived; for one gag, characters are deceived, but in the other, it's the audience that's misled, which is a clear example of the deception of film.

In the mistaken identity situation, the husband's helmet becomes stuck on his head, obscuring his vision and causing the perpetuation of the mistaken identity. The others characters continue beguiled as a result. The only part of this short film that doesn't seem to fit with this construction is the golf sequence, which was apparently the springboard for the movie to begin with. Yet, there is the rather perplexing reflection scene where Chaplin reflects on a romance between himself and Edna, which is probably a fantasy, but might also be a linkage to a parallel film reality, or a shared memory with his alter ego. Nevertheless, it's an interesting reflection within the film, which is a surprisingly well-constructed reflexive work in whole. The golfing escapade, however, in addition to the kick in the bum at the end, remind me that foremost 'The Idle Class' is a comedy for enjoyment, and it is delightful and hilarious, indeed--as well as clever and interesting.

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Chaplin's Idle Class Economy Of Style, 4 October 2008
8/10
Author: CitizenCaine from Las Vegas, Nevada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Chaplin edited, wrote, produced, and directed The Idle Class, a comedy of distinction between classes. This a theme that audiences seemed taken with during the silent era, especially the Roaring Twenties. Chaplin plays two roles in this film: A rich sot of a husband and the tramp, who wanders into meeting Edna Purviance near a golf course. The tramp hitches a ride to a golf course. Meanwhile, Chaplin as the rich sot reads a note from Edna Purviance his wife, which says she'll avoid him until his drinking ceases. Chaplin, with his back to the audience, pulls off a masterfully deceptive joke. Audience members are fooled as well as being the only ones who are not fooled throughout this film. Chaplin, the tramp, has several funny moments at the golf course hitting someone else's ball and having it land in a large man's mouth. Here Chaplin must hit the ball as it alternately pops out and back into the man's mouth, who's apparently napping on the golf course. Here Chaplin meets Edna Purviance, the rich Chaplin's wife. He dreams of following her, running off with her, and marrying her. However, she's riding a swift horse, and the audience sees Chaplin following her on a donkey, the class distinction readily apparent. The rich sot Chaplin has a wonderful sight gag in which he makes a phone call in a hotel lobby without realizing he's not wearing pants. Getting to the phone and returning to his room are great moments. Chaplin recalls his earlier park comedies when Chaplin the tramp runs into a pickpocket and a cop in a park before fleeing to Chaplin the rich sot's mansion to escape. Here Chaplin the tramp is mistaken as Chaplin the sot because it's a costume party and they look alike of course. Chaplin the sot is dressed as a knight and the helmet's visor has become stuck in the down position. Hilarity ensues as a result. Once discovered, Chaplin the tramp is ignored by the nouveau riche ensemble assembled and has to leave quickly. Chaplin establishes the premise with concise precision very quickly and continues building the parallel world's of the two Chaplin characters in the film before they finally clash at the costume party. It's a very funny film. *** of 4 stars.

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Consistently funny with several really good sequences, 4 May 2008
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

A train arrives at the depot with a range of passengers – from the rich down to a tramp of few means. One rich woman has asked her husband to collect her at the station but his terrible forgetfulness means he does not. All three of them head to the members-only golf club, although the tramp is not strictly invited. He causes confusion and trouble on the greens, while his more than passing resemblance to the rich woman's husband causes plenty trouble at the masquerade ball that evening.

As part of broadening my cinema experience I spent an afternoon checking in with screenings of a few Chaplin feature films and shorts and The Idle Class was one of the latter. Having just watched A Day's Pleasure and finding it amusing, I expected more of the same from Idle Class but actually this film was much funnier. The plot is not really important until the tramp and husband come together in the final scene and up till then it is just one perfectly timed and choreographed piece of confusion after another. The golf course fights were my favourite but the ball itself is pretty funny. As usual Chaplin's performance is quite brilliant, putting so much into his face and physical comedy that really you never thing words as missing so much as superfluous. The support cast of regulars such as Purviance, Swain, Bergman and a few others all put in solid work with well-exaggerated physical deliveries that compliment the subtle performance from Chaplin.

Overall a real delight. Consistently funny with plenty to laugh about.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
funny stuff, 3 January 2003
Author: mmmuconn from movie heaven

SPOILED JOKES BELOW

With `The Idle Class' Charlie Chaplin emphasizes one of his favorite habits. He invokes laughter at the expense of his characters by limiting their perspective, and then stuns his delighted audience members by using the restrictions of the camera frame to play the same trick on them. Thus he produces scenes in which only the viewers know that the rich socialite wears no pants, or that the tramp has hit the wrong golf ball. Zany humor ensues, but it's only a warm-up for the moment when the socialite turns his back to the camera, apparently hiding tears for the wife whom his alcoholism caused him to neglect, only to at last face the audience and reveal that his heaves are merely the result of him trying to uncork a bottle.

Rating: 6.5

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