Snapshot Review - Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)

Tillie's Punctured Romance is a landmark in American cinema. It was the first feature-length comedy ever, and starred three big stars of the time: Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler and Mabel Normand. Unfortunately, it isn't a good film at all. There are virtually no laughs in the entire 'comedy.' The best part of the play (a song finale) obviously could not be included in a silent film. Marie Dressler's performance is terrible, and Chaplin has obviously not hit his stride (nor has he introduced his beloved character, The Tramp). Like Intolerance (1916) and so many others from the era, this is an important film that is simply no good. Thankfully, we still have the dozens of masterpiece feature-length comedies that came in the next decade.