Please note that this screening is at The Dobbie Hall, Larbert.

Charlie Chaplin’s comic masterpiece drawing on his own experiences of immigrating to the USA double-billed with Laurel and Hardy’s comedy classic, co-starring Larbert’s own Jimmy Finlayson!

The Immigrant
Dir. Charlie Chaplin | USA | 1917 | U | b&w| English | 25m

A penniless immigrant falls in love with a girl on a boat bound for America, only to be separated on their arrival in the Land of Liberty. Will they overcome the harsh realities of their new home and be reunited…?  There are belly laughs aplenty in this poignant tale featuring Chaplin’s mischievous “Tramp” character whose ingenuity always sees him through. This is Chaplin’s best loved silent short and the film that he himself cherished most - both for its craft and its rags-to-riches theme, which was always close to his heart.

Big Business
Dir. James W. Horne, Leo McCarey | USA | 1929 | N/C U | b&w | English | 20m

Stan and Ollie are at their anarchic best as a pair of door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen whose attempts to secure the custom of James Finlayson turns into an epic duel of mutual destruction. Larbert’s own Finlayson, with his incredulous glare and bristling moustache, gives a superbly combustible performance as the indignant homeowner, and provides the perfect foil for the boys’ delirious brand of slapstick, escalating every gag to delightful extremes. 

Introduced by Alison Strauss, HippFest Director
Performing live: Jane Gardner (piano) 

Screening courtesy of FPA Classics Collection.