Watch The Pawnshop

The Pawnshop is a silent comedy film directed by Charles Chaplin and released in 1916. The movie features Charles Chaplin, Henry Bergman, and Edna Purviance in lead roles. The story revolves around Charlie, who is working as an assistant in a pawnshop. In this pawnshop, he comes up with various comical ways of dealing with his daily chores, such as dealing with difficult customers and repairing objects. Charlie transforms the pawnshop into a site of passable craftsmanship and entertainment through his comedic antics.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Charlie mimes within a clock, providing entertainment to both the audience and the customers in the pawnshop. This sequence also features a famous gag where Charlie disorients one of the customers by scratching his back with a clock's hand.

Throughout the film, Charlie also deals with a difficult, parsimonious customer who haggles incessantly over the cost of every item, including an employee's coat. In addition, there is a subplot involving a safe that has been stolen and the attempts made by the pawnshop employees to return it to its rightful owner.

The Pawnshop is distinguished by its inventive use of physical comedy and Chaplin's frenetic movement throughout the movie. Several of the film's comedic setups involve Charlie's creative manipulation of the pawnshop merchandise or customers' feelings about their belongings.

The movie showcases Chaplin's undeniable talent for miming and pantomime, a technique that would later become his trademark. His improvisational skills and ability to communicate his emotions and thoughts without dialogue have garnered continual praise from critics and audiences alike over the years.

Overall, The Pawnshop is an excellent example of the comedic genius of Charles Chaplin. It is a playful and light-hearted tale that showcases Chaplin's skills as an actor, director, and innovator in the realm of physical comedy. The movie is also a fascinating time capsule of the early 20th century and a testament to the incredible talents of its cast and crew.

The Pawnshop is a 1916 comedy with a runtime of 26 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0.