Grimerlana
Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
JohnHowardReid
Director: CHARLES CHAPLIN. Screenplay: Charles Chaplin. Based on the 1846 novel by Prosper Merimee and its 1875 operatic adaptation by Georges Bizet (music) and Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy (book and lyrics). Photographed in black-and-white by Roland Totheroh and Harry Ensign. Scenic artist: E.T. Mazy. Assistant director: Ernest Van Pelt. Producer: Jesse J. Robbins. An Essanay Production.Copyright 3 April 1916 by Essanay Film Manufacturing Co. U.S. release: 5 April 1916. Running time: around 35 minutes at a speed of 16 frames per second.Copyright title: CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S BURLESQUE ON CARMEN.NOTES: A burlesque not so much on the novel and Bizet opera, but on the two rival 1915 versions: the De Mille epic starring Geraldine Farrar, and the William Fox production starring Theda Bara. Would you believe it, Chaplin's burlesque was then itself burlesqued — by James A. Fitzpatrick, of all people — as Chip's Carmen, released a month or two later. Both Chaplin's and Fitzpatrick's juvenile burlesques were then forced to compete with yet another burlesque of Fox/De Mille, this time in cartoon form! In addition to the two "straight" U.S. productions and the three lampoons, "Carmen" was also represented in 1916 American cinemas by the May release of Ugo Serra's Italian epic. The latter really swamped the market with no less than 226 prints in circulation in the U.S.A., compared to only 15 for the De Mille picture!Chaplin had no intention of making a four-reel movie. He intended, as usual, to edit it down to two. But Essanay, perceiving the market was "hot" for Carmen and that they could charge double rates for a double two-reeler, went ahead with the four-reel release. Chaplin sued Essanay to prevent distribution, but lost.COMMENT: Chaplin was right! At four reels, Carmen out-stays its welcome. In fact it's a bit disappointing all around. No long-lost masterpiece this! Even the photography seems inferior to the usual high standard of Chas Chaplin productions. Nonetheless, it certainly has immense curiosity value — as a rare full house of critics at our recent Hollywood Classics screening testifies. The problem is that the film is just not funny enough to sustain its present length.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"A Burlesque on Carmen" is a silent short film from 1915, so this one is of course in black-and-white and it is now already over a century old. The version I watched ran for slightly over half an hour, but I see there's also version out there that run for over 40 minutes. And there is one that features Peter Sellers as narrator, which is a bit strange as this is a silent film like I wrote. is he reading the intertitles? I am not sure, but if you like him , then perhaps that's the version to choose for you. The title already gives away that this is another version of the famous Prosper Mérimée story about Carmen and she is of course played by Chaplin regular Edna Purviance. You will find more than just a few other names in here who were really prolific and successful back in the day, even if their most known works are not necessarily associated with Chaplin, such as Jamison, Turpin or White. From that perspective, it is a bit of an oddity for a Chaplin film, but also from the perspective that literature adaptations are not necessarily anything you'd expect Chaplin to star in, even if he clearly changed the material enough for this to work from a comedic perspective. Overall, I cannot say I enjoyed the watch too much and I give it a thumbs-down, even if it is without a doubt, maybe because of the unusual approach, one of Chaplin's most known short film works. Not recommended.
JoeytheBrit
It's surprising how many films Chaplin made out of his tramp character in his earlier years. Here, in a parody of the famous opera (hence the highly original title), Chaplin plays a soldier in charge of the guard detailed to prevent smuggling onto its country's shores. The ne'er-do-wells who want to bring in their goods employ Carmen, a voluptuous young lady who is rather free and easy with her favours, to entice Chaplin away so that they can go about their business as usual. This one's a bit of a mess, with only a few scattered laughs found amongst a fairly turgid attempt at lampooning high(ish) art. Definitely not one of Chaplin's best, but then he was churning out so many films during this period that I suppose he was bound to produce a turkey every now and then.
CitizenCaine
Chaplin directed and starred in this parody of Cecil B. DeMille's Carmen, which was released only two months before this film. Chaplin plays Don Jose as Darn Hosiery in full period military regalia. It's one of his few films that we don't see any indication of his tramp costume. Edna Purviance, of course, plays Carmen, the tantalizing temptress and cigarette factory girl. The film, while containing some brief bits of slapstick, for the most part follows a more subtle comedic approach. It mirrors the actual story of Carmen quite well. Chaplin plays the dramatic, sympathetic, and jealous parts of Don Jose surprisingly well considering his limited dramatic experience in films at the time. The film packs a lot of story and action in its time frame, despite the often lengthy production time the story usually requires. There are several fun Chaplain-like moments that arrive like lost friends when we least expect them. The closing moment in the film juxtaposed with the familiar death scene of Carmen is pure Chaplain. It's an ambitious departure from most of his earlier work. **1/2 of 4 stars.
