The Bank (1915)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I am probably not among the biggest fans of Chaplin or silent films in general, but I did enjoy watching this 25-minute short film "The Bank". It will have its 100th anniversary in about a week by the way. This is a silent, black-and-white movie and the reason why I loved it is that it has more than just a random collection of comedic slapstick moments from Chaplin. There is a bit of a romance tragedy in here and you just want to give him a hug when he realizes the letter was not for him. Poor Charlie. And there is some nice drama too and if you hear the bank, you probably already guess that this will be about a heist and you are correct in this case. Some gun action, but not in a way where you think wow they tried to make it look so spectacular, but rather in a way where it was not too much and yet enough too seem appropriate for the story. Thumbs up for this one. Eric Campbell is not yet in here, but Edna Purviance already is and she does a good job as usual. Recommended.

Chaplin's comic persona still wasn't fully formed when he made this 1915 short for Essanay, but his development was gathering pace and, while there are still dislikeable elements about his character he is not as mean-spirited as he was in his earlier incarnations. Here he plays Charlie the janitor, a lowly worker at a bank who mistakenly believes the pretty teller (played by Edna Purviance) loves him, when she really loves a dapper bank clerk by the same name.Chaplin's comic timing is perfect as always and he makes difficult tricks look easy as he wages war on a fellow worker. Oddly, while the film works a little too hard to tug at the audience's heartstrings, there is no happy ending to this one, and by the final credits the true colours of both Charlie and his love rival are exposed.

"The Bank" (1915, Chaplin) "The Bank" was one of Charlie's 1915 Essanay films. While these group of films are more watchable than their 1914 counterparts, this one seems a bit below average. The gag with the janitorial double combo-locked vault and the tough-luck ending that has Charlie waking up from a dream, in which he is stroking the lead lady's hair, only to be stroking the head of a mop he had used as a quasi pillow, are both classic Chaplin moments. They are both ironically the beginning and the end. The middle is filled in with fighting with the rival co-worker janitor and busting up a bank robbery to win the girl. The mop is probably the greatest physical prop of this movie and Charlie uses it to expert comedic effect whether while it is the intention of his character or not. The mop seems to be Charlie's alter-ego doing things he wishes he could do but wouldn't with his own two hands. Interesting stuff but there's better.

Once again as the loveable tramp, Chaplin again plays the part of the working man, which is particularly amusingly clarified in the opening scene. Charlie walks up to a huge vault door, twists knobs to open the combination locks, and after getting through several doors, he enters the impressive vault and comes out with a mop and bucket.The simple story in this film is overshadowed by the hilarious slapstick comedy, such as the commonplace, fast paced fight scenes. In one scene, Charlie actually hands a guy his coat and hat to hold and then he gives him one of his characteristic punches, sending him rolling over backwards. There is another noteworthy scene in which one guy is looking at himself in a mirror, combing his hair and whatnot, and Charlie uproariously mocks him for prettying himself up like that.(spoilers) While the slapstick comedy is probably the best element of this film, there is also a well-done love story presented that foreshadows that seen in the great City Lights. There is very good emotion in the scene where Edna, Charlie's love interest, tears up his love letter. The Bank is an example of Charlie's tendency to really keep you guessing, because although he almost always plays the protagonist, his films don't always end in his favor (the same is true for Caught In A Cabaret, another of his early short comedies). Ultimately, Charlie ends up getting the girl and saving the day, but then it turns out that it was all a dream, and he is alone. It's a good thing that he did this, too, because one of the things that made his tremendous amount of early short films remain interesting was that he mixed things around like that. And The Bank is among the best of those early films.