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The Fireman U rating

In this classic Chaplin short, he comedy great plays a bumbling fireman who gets caught up in an insurance scam.

Comedy 1916 25 mins Silent

Director: Charles Chaplin

Overview

In Chaplin’s second short for Mutual Film Productions, he plays a bumbling fireman who gets caught up in an insurance scam.

The Fireman is notable for some interesting early uses of comic effects, such as running the film backwards to make firemen go up the firemen’s pole. After the film was released Chaplin received a fan letter which advised him he was becoming a slave to the public; Chaplin took the advice to heart and thenceforth tried to avoid pandering to audience expectations.