The Adventurer (1917)
An escaped convict dives into the ocean to save a wealthy woman and her mother from drowning, then poses as a gentleman at their lakeside party while the police close in on him.
The Adventurer closed out Chaplin’s contract with Mutual Film Corporation, the last of twelve shorts often singled out as his most technically accomplished; its rooftop chases and quick-change disguises show a filmmaker working at the outer edge of what slapstick could do on a two-reel budget.
Background
The Adventurer closed out Chaplin’s twelve-film contract with Mutual Film Corporation, and it is often singled out by critics as the most technically accomplished of the series, reflecting how much his craft had developed over the course of these shorts. The story follows an escaped convict who dives into the ocean to rescue a wealthy woman and her mother from drowning, then poses as a gentleman at their lakeside party while the police close in around him.
What to watch for
Watch for the film’s elaborate chase sequences and quick-change disguises, which push the boundaries of what a two-reel comedy budget could accomplish at the time. As the final entry in a series widely regarded as among Chaplin’s finest sustained work, it offers a good sense of just how far his filmmaking had advanced in the roughly year and a half since he began working for Mutual, shortly before he moved on to an even more lucrative contract with First National.
