Masterpieces of Greek and Roman Theatre

Gender in Chaplin Comedies
The Immigrant, The Count, and Easy Street

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Similarities within the Chaplin Comedies

Female Similarities

The three Chaplin comedies that we watched had many similarities among them. The first similarity was how the female characters were portrayed. Women in the comedies were often portrayed as feeble, weak, gullible, dependent, and not able to stand up for themselves.

Edna Purviance
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In The Immigrant, we saw these characteristics in the lead female when her mother’s money was stolen. The girl becomes weak by sitting down and crying instead of looking for the money. She is distraught and upset until Chaplin swoops in and saves the day by giving her his money. It is here that she has become dependent on Chaplin because now he is her hero. She is also portrayed as weak and gullible when Chaplin is trying to convincer her to marry him at the end. While she puts up a little bit of fuss, she never really takes a stand as to if she wants to marry him or not. She flirts with him and then says no but it’s not a serious no. She is indecisive and unclear so Chaplin picks her up and carries her in.

In The Count, we see another woman who is not able to communicate what she wants. Miss Moneybags seems almost like a pawn between two players than a real person. It seems that she only does what she is told and we never learn what it is that she really wants. Does she like Chaplin, Chaplin’s former boss, or the real Count? During the scenes when the men are fighting over her, you never see her cheering one man on over the others. She seems happy with any one of them as long as she is taken care of.

Finally, there was Easy Street , were we see the villains wife as the typical weak and dependent woman. The best example of this comes when she steals food from across the street and Chaplin catches her. She looks so beat up that Chaplin takes pity on her and steals even more food for her. It is here that her dependence on others is apparent because she isn’t able to take of herself very well.

Charlie Chaplin
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Male Similarities

The second similarity between these three comedies is how the men are portrayed. Often times the men are the stronger characters. The hero is always a small kind fellow who is broke and the villain is always portrayed as a gigantic bully. Another similarity is the way in which the hero always triumphs the villain; he uses comedy and brains to win.

The Immigrant shows Chaplin as the usual small broke man. His generosity shows up when he gives his money to the woman who has lost hers. The conflict arises when he is in the restaurant and has to pay but realizes he has no money. After a series of comedic actions, he finally uses his intelligence and uses the artist’s tip money to pay for his meal.

In The Count, Chaplin is again portrayed as a poor man. He goes around to rich men’s homes and is fed by the maid. While he is in one such home, he finds himself portraying a Count to a beautiful woman. When the real Count shows up, Chaplin uses comic relief and cunning to safely make it out of the house and avoid punishment.

Easy Street starts off portraying the male lead in a different way. Chaplin is a bum who goes to a mission and comes out a better man. He is hired to protect Easy Street and soon becomes the hero when he uses his comedy and wit once again to defeat the villain. Alas, the villain escapes from the police soon after being taken in. After more scenes of comedic actions, Chaplin finally drops a stove on the villains’ head and Easy Street is finally safe for good. The comedy ends with everyone respecting Chaplin, even the villain who has changed his ways, and of course, Chaplin gets the girl. Just like a real hero.

Differences within the Chaplin Comedies

The Immigrant

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One aspect of the female character that was apparent in The Immigrant and not in the other films, was the flirtatious side of the main woman. After Chaplin gives her his money, she immediately becomes grateful and starts touching him a lot. While this may be only a sign of gratitude, one can also take it as a form of flirting. In her eyes, Chaplin has proven himself to be a great provider. The two meet again later in the restaurant. The woman flirts from across the room until Chapin invites her over. The death of her mother can’t even stop her from flirting as she sits down and eats with Chaplin. In the final scene, Chaplin and the woman lean against a building and she again flirts with him using her eyes and even allows Chaplin to kiss her. When he asks her to marry him, she says no but its not an assertive no. Chaplin then breaks the hero character and becomes an aggressive male as he picks her up and drags her inside to get married.

In The Count, we see a role reversal between men and women. The maid who works in the kitchen takes care of the local poor by feeding them. She is the provider and they are the receivers. In essence, she is acting like a man because she looks out for them and takes care of them. She also takes on the role of the comic hero when she hides the men in the kitchen because she is saving them from the danger; being caught by the master of the house.

The Count

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For questions or comments, please contact John Gruber-Miller