The Adventurer
1917 · 23m · USA
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
Tones: humorous, tense, whimsical
An escaped convict (Chaplin's Little Tramp) saves a young woman and her mother from drowning, ingratiating himself into their wealthy social circle, but her jealous suitor schemes to have him recaptured by the authorities.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Two chase sequences bookending the fastest of the Mutual shorts — fine, but it's Chaplin in greatest-hits mode. Nothing new.
The fastest-paced of the Mutuals and an effective summation of Chaplin's 1917 acrobatic peak, bookended by two of his most kinetic chases. Reliably excellent if not boundary-pushing.
Last and fastest of Chaplin's Mutuals — the bookend chase sequences are some of his most acrobatic on-screen athletics, all in-camera with practical sets. 285MB Archive.org file suggests a solid print.
Reviews
The most popular of the Mutuals, the fastest-paced film of the series, and although it has more slapstick than Easy Street and The Immigrant, it is redeemed by its construction, characterization, and Chaplin's balletic grace.
One wishes, between laughs, that the screen's best comedian would get to work and do what everyone knows he is capable of. There is a slap-stick coarse humor in The Adventurer, but also some of Chaplin's most irresistible pantomime.