Charlie Chaplin’s fifth film for Mutual is a somewhat simpler
film than its immediate predecessors The
Vagabond and One A.M. and is more
reminiscent of his Essanay work, albeit it more sophisticated and slightly
funnier. Chaplin plays an inept Tailor’s assistant who gets fired for burning a
Count’s trousers. His boss (Eric Campbell) finds an invitation to a party at
the house of Miss Moneybags (Edna Purviance) and decides to impersonate the
rich Count in order to marry the attractive, rich girl. Chaplin is also at the
party having snuck in through the back door and beats
The Count features
lots of funny moments but lacks the knockout blow of the likes of One A.M. or The Bank. It’s testament to the quality of Chaplin’s Mutual films
that I felt disappointed by The Count even
though it is far superior to a lot of his Essanay films.
