Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) I am probably not among the biggest fans of Chaplin or silent films in general, but I did enjoy watching this 25-minute short film "The Bank". It will have its 100th anniversary in about a week by the way. This is a silent, black-and-white movie and the reason why I loved it is that it has more than just a random collection of comedic slapstick moments from Chaplin. There is a bit of a romance tragedy in here and you just want to give him a hug when he realizes the letter was not for him. Poor Charlie. And there is some nice drama too and if you hear the bank, you probably already guess that this will be about a heist and you are correct in this case. Some gun action, but not in a way where you think wow they tried to make it look so spectacular, but rather in a way where it was not too much and yet enough too seem appropriate for the story. Thumbs up for this one. Eric Campbell is not yet in here, but Edna Purviance already is and she does a good job as usual. Recommended.

JoeytheBrit Chaplin's comic persona still wasn't fully formed when he made this 1915 short for Essanay, but his development was gathering pace and, while there are still dislikeable elements about his character he is not as mean-spirited as he was in his earlier incarnations. Here he plays Charlie the janitor, a lowly worker at a bank who mistakenly believes the pretty teller (played by Edna Purviance) loves him, when she really loves a dapper bank clerk by the same name.Chaplin's comic timing is perfect as always and he makes difficult tricks look easy as he wages war on a fellow worker. Oddly, while the film works a little too hard to tug at the audience's heartstrings, there is no happy ending to this one, and by the final credits the true colours of both Charlie and his love rival are exposed.

marshallscott-owens The Bank- In an art that isn't completely lost today in big time Hollywood, yet quite possibly hasn't been perfected since, Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in his own films. Chaplin shows off his ability to let his actions speak for him. While watching the film it seemed almost as if the music was the dialogue for the movie. Every emotion that Chaplin and the other actors were conveying in the film only seems to be enhanced by the music. Every action by each actor seems as if it is mirrored flawlessly and in sync with the film. No doubt that is the whole concept of silent film; nonetheless it hadn't been completely utilized in cinema during the early part of American film history. The story itself is funny throughout, but still produces emotions from opposite ends of the spectrum. Charlie, the janitor, carries himself with so much pride, as he goes to work, that you are initially under the impression that he is the owner of the bank or the person who runs it. Oddly enough he is nothing more but a janitor and poor janitor at best. His own follies make work harder on him. He doesn't get along with co-workers well and makes bigger messes then he has to clean up. A misunderstanding with another employee over a note to a different Charlie causes him some confusion. Charlie is flattered by the love letter left by the female employee and leaves flowers for her. Then she leaves them behind for Charlie to find. He is hurt by this discovery, so like the good janitor that he is he needs to take a nap while on the job.Suddenly during the middle of his nap he is awoken by robbers trying to steal money from the bank. Charlie, in his clumsy fashion, intends to save the day. He battles his foes displaying a superior boxing talent. He triumphs over his adversaries one at a time, the he saves his lady. A robber almost gets the best of Charlie when his new lady saves him which leads to the discovery of her old man hiding under the desk. Charlie goes in for a heroic victory kiss with his gal, for he had just showed the world he is capable of more than being just a janitor. He is a hero; surely a new promotion at the bank will await him. As the kiss occurs in what seems like the final shot of the movie Charlie finds himself swapping spit with the mop that was by his side during his nap. Charlie is still nothing more than a janitor, and he is still all alone.Throughout the movie you see Charles' ability to showcase comedy. He has an extraordinary talent for making each shot unique with his body movement alone. His writing, editing, and directing all have a profound sharpness to them. The continuity is almost perfect. He shot parts of the film at slower speeds which, when played in real time, make the scene look almost impossible for a human to perform naturally. This technique is something that works best in silent film because there is no sound to manipulate. It is as if Chaplin was able to link real time with sped up motion. This is a directing technique that isn't always possible in modern movies, although it is an old trick. Chaplin was known for never using a working script; this only adds to his creativity and his ability to construct greatness on the fly. The ending surely had to be a twist, a janitor goes from the bottom of the totem pole, to top dog, and in the end you find out that he is nothing more than a janitor once again. Chaplin at one point in his life was a butler, a servant in some ways, much like a janitor. You would think that he would want the little man to come out on top, but Chaplin was also a man who didn't care about riches. Instead of displaying a humorous case of sadism, Chaplin could be showing that people should be happy with what they have. Not that you should settle for less, but as a janitor he in no way showed that he deserved any type of promotion, and sadly enough the only way the janitor could come out on top was in his dreams. To understand The Bank you first have to understand Charles Chaplin. His comedy was more than just humor, was a drive for a better outlook on life. The Bank makes you wonder what the janitor would do to better himself. Maybe making us all ask ourselves the question, how can we better ourselves? With creative shots for the time period and technology you see the genius that Chaplin was and the greatness of the film The Bank.

Michael DeZubiria Once again as the loveable tramp, Chaplin again plays the part of the working man, which is particularly amusingly clarified in the opening scene. Charlie walks up to a huge vault door, twists knobs to open the combination locks, and after getting through several doors, he enters the impressive vault and comes out with a mop and bucket.The simple story in this film is overshadowed by the hilarious slapstick comedy, such as the commonplace, fast paced fight scenes. In one scene, Charlie actually hands a guy his coat and hat to hold and then he gives him one of his characteristic punches, sending him rolling over backwards. There is another noteworthy scene in which one guy is looking at himself in a mirror, combing his hair and whatnot, and Charlie uproariously mocks him for prettying himself up like that.(spoilers) While the slapstick comedy is probably the best element of this film, there is also a well-done love story presented that foreshadows that seen in the great City Lights. There is very good emotion in the scene where Edna, Charlie's love interest, tears up his love letter. The Bank is an example of Charlie's tendency to really keep you guessing, because although he almost always plays the protagonist, his films don't always end in his favor (the same is true for Caught In A Cabaret, another of his early short comedies). Ultimately, Charlie ends up getting the girl and saving the day, but then it turns out that it was all a dream, and he is alone. It's a good thing that he did this, too, because one of the things that made his tremendous amount of early short films remain interesting was that he mixed things around like that. And The Bank is among the best of those early films.