HIS MUSICAL CAREER
T.it.: La carriera musicale di Charlot / Charlot facchino; F.: Frank D. Williams; M.: Charles Chaplin; Int.: Charles Chaplin (facchino), Mack Swain (Ambrose), Charles Parrott [Charley Chase] (negoziante), Billy Gilbert (commesso), Fritz Schade (Mr Rich), Frank Hayes (Mr Poor), Cecile Arnold (Mrs Rich), Gene Marsh (Miss Poor), Bill Hauber; Prod.: Keystone Film Company ■ 35mm. L.: 312 m. D.: 18’ a 16 f/s. Bn.
Film Notes
His Musical Career was released on 7 November 1914, towards the end of Chaplin’s time with Keystone. At first sight it seems a regression in terms of narrative, with much slower editing (only 33 shots compared with the 94 and 90 of Caught in the Rain and The New Janitor, although all three films are of almost identical length). In fact, he is boldly experimenting with quite a different style, much closer to that of his maturity. Having recognized that cutting is a convenience, not an obbligation, he dispenses with the rapid editing which Keystone inherited from Griffith, and conceives the film in a series of much more extended shots, which provide a stage for uninterrupted comedy routines.
David Robinson, Chaplin. His Life and Art, William Collins, 1985