TheLittleSongbird Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors. It is hard to not expect a lot after not long before Chaplin had one of his earliest career highs in 'The Kid'. 'Pay Day' doesn't disappoint, and it shows Chaplin having properly found his style and fully settled. As said with many of his post-Keystone efforts, it shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career. The Essanay and Mutual periods were something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. After Mutual the style had properly settled and the cinematic genius emerged. Very much apparent in his final and one of his best, funniest and most inventive overall short films 'Pay Day. The story is slight and slightly too simple but is at least discernible and is never dull, and does it while not being as too busy or manic.On the other hand, 'Pay Day' looks very well done, from Essanay onwards, and it is certainly the case here, it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work and not churning out countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. It's actually one of his technically best-looking short films. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.'Pay Day' is one of the funniest, most imaginative and most charming short films of Chaplin. It is hilarious with some clever, inventive, entertaining and well-timed slapstick, some imaginatively choreographed and nimbly done stunts and the charm doesn't get over-sentimental. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight. The second half is both hilarious and enchanting, with the sentimentality and such kept at bay rightfully.Chaplin directs more than competently and the cinematic genius quality is emerging. He also, as usual, gives a playful and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality and substance of the role. The support is good from the likes of the ever appealing Edna Purviance and Syd Chaplin.Overall, great, hilarious, imaginative and charming. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Michael Morrison In a brand-new upload at YouTube, this is a must-see, especially for Chaplin fans -- and surely everyone is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxNsaain5gStrangely, I had never seen this before, and it is very gratifying to find a Chaplin movie that is "new" to me.One reviewer said "Pay Day" was Chaplin's favorite, among his shorts, and I think he had many better, but this is often astonishingly creative fun.The story is not even slight. It's almost non-existent: Mostly a series of vignettes -- but very funny vignettes.It really doesn't end, just stops. Still, it's Chaplin, and funny, so do see it, and I hope you see it with the Lasky Famous Players Orchestra at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxNsaain5g.There is one flaw in the music, and I've asked Scott Lasky about that, but, pish, it in no way detracts. Enjoy.

CitizenCaine Chaplin edited, wrote, produced, and directed this film for First National Pictures, his last short film before focusing exclusively on feature films. In it, Chaplin plays an industrious worker with an amazing ability to lay bricks at lightning speed. There are numerous sight gags, especially at lunch time when the workers take their break involving an elevator and discarded food items. Chaplin feels he's been cheated out of some pay, but the boss let's him in so many words that it's a closed issue. Edna Purviance is the boss' daughter, but she has nothing to really contribute in this film. Chaplin tries hiding his pay from his Philistine wife played by the behemoth Phyllis Allen, but she's quick to discover his hiding place. Chaplin ends up smuggling some money back from his wife and heads to a Bachelor's Club and stays out drinking most of the night. He has a heck of a time trying to catch a trolley ride home, and when he does stroll home in the wee hours, he almost fools his wife into thinking he was never out all night until the alarm clock goes off at just the wrong moment. Of course, with a wife like his, sleeping with a rolling pin in hand, can we blame him for drinking? This was supposedly Chaplin's favorite short film, and it's understandable in that it contains some common themes that find themselves in many of his films. It's a tale of a workingman, everyman with a nagging wife, trying to just make it day to day in a world that seems stacked against him. However, the film is not really as funny or as good as many of his other films from this period. **1/2 of 4 stars.

Snow Leopard This Chaplin short has a lot of variety and some great moments. The first half is especially good, with some very good material featuring Charlie working at a construction site. There is a part with Charlie laying bricks that you will want to see if you are a Chaplin fan - it must have taken a lot of care and planning to film. The film also gets a lot of mileage out of the service elevator that the crew is using. The second part of the movie is not really as good as the first, mostly in that it relies too much on drunkenness for comic effect, but it also has some good gags. The best moments of this part are with Charlie and his imposing wife.