JackFavell wrote:Chaplin always falls deeply in love with his leading ladies, so there is a lot of longing without him telling them. I find that very romantic.
I guess I see the relationships differently, because I only see the Tramp's longing in
The Gold Rush, and, very briefly, in
The Circus.
For me, Chaplin's silent features break down like this in regards to the women:
In the original cut of
The Kid, Chaplin has Edna reunited with the Kid's artist father, so, originally at least, there was no romantic intent at all. It could be argued that the edited version, with that reunion cut out and the film ending with the Tramp being invited into Edna's home could lead to romance, but it's not overt and clearly the film is not about that anyway.
The Gold Rush is, for me, the only Chaplin silent feature that has romance, and here it's interesting that the romance is only present in the silent 1925 version and edited out for Chaplin's 1942 re-release. But even in the 1925 version, Georgia isn't interested romantically in the Tramp until their reunion on the ship. It's clearly romance after that, though (and the only time I recall that the Tramp actually kisses the girl--and, in the film, it really looks more like Chaplin is doing the kissing and not his character.)
The Circus has the unrequited love angle, but the Tramp's misunderstanding of Merna's intentions only lasts for a few minutes, so the romantic element is dismissed with pretty quickly.
City Lights. I know here I'm in the minority, but I just don't see the Little Fellow and Virginia getting together at the end. They may, but I think it's clear that Virginia would do so out of gratitude and not out of any romantic inclination on her part. Remember, before she realizes that the Tramp was her savior, she laughs at him along with her co-worker, and there's no hint of attraction to the Tramp, until, of course, she touches him. To be honest, I don't think the Tramp's motivations to help Virginia in the first place were romantic, either. Before he realizes she's blind, he doesn't really moon over her or anything, and in fact, becomes almost impatient. It's after realizing her disability that the Tramp's sympathy gene kicks in.
Modern Times. This is the Tramp being selfless again, and helping the woman in need. It's clear he and Paulette are pals, but I just don't see them as romantically involved. Even in their dream house, he's in the attached shed. And in the film's ending, where the two walk down the road, they don't even hold hands. It's obviously the continuation of a beautiful friendship, and they are united, but I still don't see romance, marriage, kids, etc., as part of their future.
Like everything, I guess it comes down to semantics and how one defines "romantic", but for me, with the exception of
The Gold Rush, I see Chaplin's Little Fellow in a series of worshipful but chaste relationships.
Lloyd, however, I think is the most romantic of the big three. Probably the most romantic scene in a silent comedy would be the tree-climbing sequence in
The Kid Brother where, after saying goodbye to Jobyna, Lloyd can't bare to see her leave, and he keeps climbing higher in the tree so he can keep her in view. It's as humorous as it is tender and, at least for me, very romantic. (There's plenty of romance, too, in other Lloyd features, including
Girl Shy, The Freshman, and even the gag-filled,
Hot Water.)
And a plug for Langdon: I think
The Strong Man also has some romance (with a blind woman, too. Wonder if her character was an influence on Chaplin?), and
Three's a Crowd has romantic elements, too. (Just not a lot of comedy.)