JoeytheBrit Chaplin's comic persona still wasn't fully formed when he made this 1915 short for Essanay, but his development was gathering pace and, while there are still dislikeable elements about his character he is not as mean-spirited as he was in his earlier incarnations. Here he plays Charlie the janitor, a lowly worker at a bank who mistakenly believes the pretty teller (played by Edna Purviance) loves him, when she really loves a dapper bank clerk by the same name.Chaplin's comic timing is perfect as always and he makes difficult tricks look easy as he wages war on a fellow worker. Oddly, while the film works a little too hard to tug at the audience's heartstrings, there is no happy ending to this one, and by the final credits the true colours of both Charlie and his love rival are exposed.

CitizenCaine Chaplin edited, wrote, directed, and starred in The Bank, a film about rising above one's station in life and overcoming obstacles. Chaplin was raised in poverty, and because of that, often had himself portray characters victimized by or at odds with the upper classes. Here he plays a janitor in a bank who is frustrated with his lowly status but tries to make do anyway. He has trouble with a fellow janitor, and then he mistakes the secretary's gift for a cashier as being for himself. He sulks away before having a chance to win the secretary again during a bank robbery. Two of the robbers are future film directors: Lloyd Bacon and Wesley Ruggles. The ending seems to suggest to the lower classes that it's OK to have aspirations, but if they aren't achieved, one should be satisfied with one's lot in life. I'm not sure I buy that though. Chaplin, by now, was world famous, and his comedy was becoming more sophisticated and seamlessly integrated into his plots. The Bank tells a simple story with underpinnings of pathos as well as slapstick. **1/2 of 4 stars.

TheOtherFool Good Chaplin short with Charlie as a janitor in a bank. Movie consists of 3 parts. First Charlie gets in a fight with another janitor as they don't really help each other. Then we meet Edna, Charlie's secret love, but engaged to a cashier. The third part is when some gangsters try to rob the bank, but then Charlie comes in and saves the day, gaining the respect and love of Edna (or does he?).Funny slapstick by Charlie, in particular in the last part when he fights of the robbers. Though not his best, certainly great entertainment for Chaplin fans (and boy am I one of them). Great, bittersweet ending as well.Peculiar thing happened when I turned off my dvd player and the Dutch 'Tros tv-show' was on with Geraldine and young Oona as guests! Now that can't be a coincidence...Final score: 7/10.

Snow Leopard This is one of the best of Charlie Chaplin's many early short films (i.e. from 1914-1916). Besides containing a lot of slapstick humor, the bank setting leads to some interesting subplots and themes.Charlie is a janitor in the bank, and he usually manages to create more messes than he cleans up. Much of the first part of the movie is a series of comic misadventures while Charlie is trying to do his job, producing a lot of laughs. Then we find that Charlie has his eyes on a girl, and meanwhile some bank robbers come on the scene.All of it leads to some good comedy, while also having some moments of humanity similar to those in the great films that Chaplin would create later. Charlie's character in this one is sympathetic and memorable. "The Bank" is a short feature with humor and substance, and it is one of the best examples of Chaplin's earlier work.