Behind the Screen
| Behind the Screen | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster to Behind the Screen | |
| Directed by | Charles Chaplin Edward Brewer (technical director) |
| Written by | Charles Chaplin Vincent Bryan Maverick Terrell |
| Produced by | Henry P. Caulfield |
| Starring | Charles Chaplin Edna Purviance Eric Campbell |
| Cinematography | Roland Totheroh George C. Zalibra |
| Edited by | Charles Chaplin |
| Distributed by | Mutual Film Corporation |
Release date | November 13, 1916 |
Running time | 23 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Behind the Screen is a 1916 American silent short comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, and also starring Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance.
Synopsis
The film takes place in a movie studio. A stagehand named David (Chaplin) has a supervisor, Goliath (Campbell). Much of the film is slapstick comedy involving Chaplin manhandling large props, but other plotlines include a strike by the stagehands, and Purviance, who is unable to become an actress, dressing as a man and becoming a stagehand.
References in documentaries
The 1983 documentary series Unknown Chaplin revealed previously unseen footage from this movie, including an alternate take where Purviance's character is shown playing a harp; an outtake in which Edna, playing the guitar, starts laughing (the documentary supports the belief that Purviance and Chaplin were romantically involved at the time); and several takes of a sequence in which Chaplin's character narrowly misses having his feet chopped off by an axe (accomplished by filming the scene backwards) - this sequence was never used in the final film.
The 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet draws attention to the scene where Chaplin's character - after learning that Purviance's character is really a woman - kisses her while on the set; at this point, a male stagehand enters and, thinking that Chaplin has kissed a man, starts acting in an overtly effeminate way until Chaplin kicks him.[1]
Cast
- Charles Chaplin as David (Goliath's assistant)
- Edna Purviance as The Girl
- Eric Campbell as Goliath (a stagehand)
Sound version
In 1932, Amedee Van Beuren of Van Beuren Studios, purchased Chaplin's Mutual comedies for $10,000 each, added music by Gene Rodemich and Winston Sharples and sound effects, and re-released them through RKO Radio Pictures. Chaplin had no legal recourse to stop the RKO release.[2]
See also
References
- ^ The Celluloid Closet, DVD documentary (1995); Kenneth S. Lynn, Chaplin: His Life and Times (2003).
- ^ SilentComedians entry
External links
- The short film Behind the Screen is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- Behind the Screen at IMDb
 | This 1910s short comedy film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |