A tramp steals a girl's handbag, but when he tries to pick Charlie's pocket loses his cigarettes and matches. He rescues a hot dog man from a thug, but takes a few with his walking stick. When the thief tries to take some of Charlie's sausages, Charlie gets the handbag. The handbag makes its way from person to person to its owner, who is angry with her boyfriend who didn't protect her in the first place. The boyfriend decides to throw himself in the lake in despair, so Charlie helps him out.
Acting
Chaplin's tramp: pathetic, clever, and unexpectedly heroic.
Direction
Economical storytelling—four plots, zero dialogue, perfect clarity.
Practical Effects
Physical comedy so precise it needs no sound.
Director
Charlie Chaplin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chaplin shot this in two days at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, reusing extras from his previous film.
The circular object-passing structure influenced everything from 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' to 'Pulp Fiction's' briefcase.
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