Year: 1922
Director: Charles Chaplin
Country: US
Language: N/A
Chaplin began his film career in 1913 making comedies that were a "a crude mélange of rough and rumble" in Essanay Studios. Despite his lack of satisfaction, he made the memorable Tramp character during his tenure. From there he went to Essanay wherin he became a cultural phenomenon and Mutual where he became a hero for soldiers. By 1922 Chaplin decided to quit doing shorts, only because he was far more interested in features.
After a difficult day at work, a bricklayer (Charles Chaplin) tries to enjoy his pay day without his wife knowing.
Indeed, after the critical and commercial success of his first feature length film The Kid (1921) Chaplin's desire to work on much larger pictures dramatically increased. When his contract ran out with First National in 1923 he no longer had any chains that bound him to two-reelers. His last two short comedies were The Pilgrim (1922) and Pay Day (1922). While I'll save the former for another review, the latter was absolutely fantastic.
Chaplin's own favourite of his films, Pay Day is ripe with slapstick and has a fun little story to boot. Albeit I'll never understand why many people in movies and tv shows have wives who are far more like mother figures, but I suppose that's an analysis for another time. Once again Chaplin brings us into the life of the proletariat, albeit with less politics at the forefront, and delivers on the choreography of each visual gag.
His stunts are well executed, reminiscent of Buster Keaton in regards to how dangerous the construction stunts look. I love how the wife is the straight character to Chaplin's goofy Tramp; he thinks he can get away with his deeds but she's always onto him. Overall Pay Day is a good film that makes me laugh every-time I watch it.
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