Charlie Chaplin (1951)

"Shoulder Arms" 103 kids, his induction into the army, and the subsequent feteing of Charlie by Allied leaders. In that sequence Poincare was among the speakers eulogizing him and the King of England was shown snipping a button off his uniform as a souvenir. Cut down to three reels, the film's pace and impact were magnified. It is impossible to designate a "best" Chaplin. Motion pictures, like other creations, look different in each period through changes in intellectual and emotional climates. Today, perhaps, "Shoulder Arms" might seem sketchy and hurried in its effects and some of its humor might seem dated. Nevertheless, it is sure of a place among Chaplin's masterworks and in the art of all time. In the first scene Charlie is a member of "the awkward squad" in a training camp. We see him at drill and the sergeant ordering "Put those feet in!" Trying to obey the drill commands, Charlie tangles himself up as the rest of the squad march off. He catches up with the others, to go into a sequence of in-turning and out-turning of his toes accompanied by barked commands. At dismissal Charlie hops to his tent to fall exhausted on his cot. (Fade out.) "Over There." Iris in on trench. Charlie staggers in under knapsacks, rifle, blankets, household utensils, etc. Tapping an officer on the shoulder for directions, he walks forward (moving camera) to a sign labeled: "Broadway and Rotten Row." The new recruit is put through an inspection by a sergeant who gets his fingers caught in provident Charlie's rat trap. With his billowing equipment he gets stuck in the dugout door and is helped through, finally, by a boot from the sergeant. His first act, when he reaches his quarters, is to hang up a nutmeg grater to scratch his back on, the "cooties" having already "occupied" him. The scene shifts to the enemy trenches where a pint