The Immigrant (Chaplin)

Not much to say here... this is my first Chaplin movie. It doesn't seem as artistically interesting as historically interesting, although I wonder whether it's so uniformly unsurprising because it's just part of my modern American consciousness. I suppose I've seen silent era slapstick many times in the unconscious periphery. The movie felt familiar in the way my recent introduction to The Carter Family felt familiar, though I'd never heard their music. It's just elemental, so it doesn't sound revolutionary. What one hardly appreciates is the parallel universe that was never granted said elements.

Were viewers invested in the emotional arc? Did they cry? Did they laugh out loud? Or was this just entertainment -- arresting their attention for 25 minutes in a novel medium? If Avatar inspired such awe in 2009, I'm sure Chaplin could have in 1917 with his deeper artistry and his blooming medium.

I'm interested, poised to admire. I wouldn't mind watching another. Familiarity with Chaplin seems valuable, as a ruler and trivia boon. The movie wasn't unenjoyable, just a little tired, so I'm hoping the longer and later features are also richer. Otherwise it'll be tough. But I value the frame of reference in contextualizing the rest of film.