Kid Auto Races at Venice is a lovely film if you like Chaplin. If you don't like Chaplin then its sort of pointless, but that doesn't really matter, because if you don't like Chaplin your life is probably pretty pointless anyways.

The film is simple, it is the second film Chaplin ever made, and the plot involves him standing in front of a camera while it tries to film an auto race. Interestingly, people at the time this was shown probably wondered why this tramp was always in front of the camera (the gag of the film), but watching it now you wonder why the camera is paying more attention to the auto-race than Charlie.

The reason why the film is charming of course is that the tramp is a mythic character, he is perhaps the most famous character in the history of cinema, and in the course of his narrative (which correlates in time roughly the period of Chaplin's life), he managed to take part in dozens of major events, even foiling Hitler. Through all of these films though he never really 'impacts' himself on the scenario that he is involved in. No one in the film world knows that the tramp foiled Hitler and gave the blind their sight, but those people in the audience know that the magic to effect everything around him was always close at hand for the tramp, even if the little man didn't know it.

The story of the tramp runs alongside the story of Chaplin, the sad, incredibly handsome Englishman who had an unhealthy thing for young women and leftist causes. Who had a bit of magic of his own, and was, according to W.C. Fields "the best ballet dancer ever." Both Chaplin and the tramp created their magic and were swept aside, the tramp of course was beyond reproach, Chaplin unfortunately was not. But in a way more real then it might seem at first both characters were living their lives together.

The entire purpose of cinema, to my mind, is to show that there are aspects of all humans that are beyond judgement, that the movement of a series of still images has a certain religious beauty to it.

Kid Auto Races at Venice should not be watched for comedy, it should be watched to remind us that strange and magical people occasionally get in our way when we're trying to watch the goddamn race.

This film, of course, defined the term "the It girl," and is because of that Clara Bow's most famous film. While I suppose if you only see one Clara Bow movie this should be the one you see, there's something incredibly wrong with you if you think it is acceptable to just see one Clara Bow movie. It will have done its job if it just convinces you of that, though on the whole Mantrap, or The Plastic Age are better films.

The plot of the film is a rather standard Clara Bow plot (which can be all summed up by "girl falls in love, girl does zany things to get the guy"). In the film, some rich guy's foppish friend (they weren't gay until the 1950s) reads this story about having "It," a pretentious word for sex appeal. There are long discussions about who actually has "it," until the foppish guy decides that a certain girl working in the rich man's store, quite defiantly has it. He takes her out to a fancy dinner, and she goes after his not foppish friend. Since she is poor and he is rich there are endless problems, all of which Clara Bow manages to overcome with her Itiness. She of course gets the man in the end.

Though, this does not describe the actual reason you watch the film, which can be summed up as "Clara Bow is cute, look at all the things she can do!" I am completely mad about Bow, it is really quite difficult for one to avoid falling in love with her. I was not too charmed by her in the first shot (despite the fact that she was holding lingerie), but when she leaves the store in this cute little 1920's dress, and a cloche hat, I don't know if I've ever seen anything better in this world.

The film is filled with sexual puns, her dress is blown up by one of those sidewalk wind things a la Marylin Monroe, after she slaps a guy for being "too fast," she runs up stairs smiling and slaps a stuffed animal on the butt. There is also a lot of talk about unmarried pregnancy, and "kept" women. In this sense, one of the most interesting things about Clara Bow films is the way they counter her out of control sex appeal, with the reminants of victorian culture that was being cast off at the time. There is sex everywhere in her films, but the films stop just short of any impropriety (occasionally by condemning the sex that is there to please the audience).

I will stop at that mention though. A Clara Bow film shouldn't be overly analyzed, one should merely watch the film for the quickening pace of your heart, that the flash of her eyes inspires.

Though this is a short film, it is probably my favorite Keaton short. And Keaton of course is one of those comedians who always promotes the mystical in commentators.

Besides a number of catchy gags (most notably the spinning house gag), what really makes this movie wonderful is a short scene in which Keaton's girl paints two hearts with an arrow through them on the side of the house. Keaton sees what she's doing and kisses her, then he walks away. Chaos ensues

This one scene is the only scene in the entire movie that isn't totally ridiculous, and, if you ask me, that one scene describes something of the essence of love. Keaton of course is always straight faced, his adventures are in a way always normal for him. What really characterizes the marriage in this movie is an absurd accentuation of "in sickness and in health etc. etc." Both characters see this house building as the first adventure in their life together, and the fact that they can't really take themselves, or this house seriously, makes it all the more delightful for them.

What I mean, is love is something that cannot be said in words, only in actions which are pointless, actions filled with incomprehensible affection. Of course who better to express such things then silent comedians, who always seem to be the only things to makes sense in a world overwhelmed with absurdity.