Shoulder Arms (1918)

US 46m, silent (B&W)
Director: Charlie Chaplin; Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Syd Chaplin

Released less than a month before the Armistice of November 11, 1918, Shoulder Arms is a First World War farce. As part of the “Awkward Squad”, Charlie finds himself in boot camp dreaming of action on the front lines. Dug in and longing for home, his character experiences the miserable conditions in the trenches while defeating the enemy with unusual tactics which include lobbing limburger cheese and infiltrating German lines disguised as a tree. This is a daring comedy in which Chaplin remarkably finds a balance between a parody of the events, and an homage to the soldiers who he was portraying (Klaus Ming November 2015).