This is a full-length film at the beginning of Chaplin's career. While he later went on to make several amazing full-length comedies starting in the 20s, this is the first. And, because it was made the same year he debuted in films, his Little Tramp character was still being developed and was not seen in many of these early films, or if he did appear, he was quite different from the Chaplin we later became familiar with in the 20s.
In this case, Chaplin plays a con man who bears no similarity to the sweet tramp. He strolls into town after vacating the big city because he's overstayed his welcome. In the country he meets Tillie and persuades her to run away with him. He has no intention of marrying her but wants her to bring her daddy's savings so he can steal it and leave her high and dry.
Well, he does just that--only to find out later she just inherited $3,000,000. So, he returns to her and persuades her that he REALLY does want to marry her and so they wed (apparently Tillie is an idiot to believe such hooey). A little later, she finds out her rich uncle who died ISN'T really dead, and so once again, Chaplin dumps her--only to be soundly beaten up by her at the end.
This movie is very fast-paced, full of non-stop slapstick and has a very scant amount of plot. At times, it's funny. At many other times, it just looks like a run of the mill slapstick movie stretched out to feature length. The bottom line is ANY comedian of the age could have played Chaplin's role--it had no finesse and the movie itself lacked the later Chaplin magic.
In this case, Chaplin plays a con man who bears no similarity to the sweet tramp. He strolls into town after vacating the big city because he's overstayed his welcome. In the country he meets Tillie and persuades her to run away with him. He has no intention of marrying her but wants her to bring her daddy's savings so he can steal it and leave her high and dry.
Well, he does just that--only to find out later she just inherited $3,000,000. So, he returns to her and persuades her that he REALLY does want to marry her and so they wed (apparently Tillie is an idiot to believe such hooey). A little later, she finds out her rich uncle who died ISN'T really dead, and so once again, Chaplin dumps her--only to be soundly beaten up by her at the end.
This movie is very fast-paced, full of non-stop slapstick and has a very scant amount of plot. At times, it's funny. At many other times, it just looks like a run of the mill slapstick movie stretched out to feature length. The bottom line is ANY comedian of the age could have played Chaplin's role--it had no finesse and the movie itself lacked the later Chaplin magic.