Pay Day

1922

Action / Comedy

19
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 82%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 82% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 5240 5.2K

saloon sequel black and white bathtub silent film bricklayer

Plot summary

A bricklayer and his wife clash over his end-of-the-week partying.

Director

Charles Chaplin Photo
Charles Chaplin

Top cast

Charles Chaplin Photo
Charles Chaplin as Laborer
Al Ernest Garcia Photo
Al Ernest Garcia as Drinking Companion and Policeman
Loyal Underwood Photo
Loyal Underwood as Workman
Edna Purviance Photo
Edna Purviance as Foreman's Daughter
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
205.98 MB
1280*952
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
12 hr 22 min
Seeds 2
382.66 MB
1440*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
12 hr 22 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by st-shot 8 / 10

Charlie chuckle fest.

Chaplin's tramp has a job in this half hour short which comically depicts the plight of the era's laborer that has changed negligibly since. There is little plot to go around but plenty of perfected sight gags by the Silent master as he works and drinks with co-workers and fends off his shrewish rolling pin wielding wife who is intent on collecting his entire pay. The most deft comedy bits are on the job as he does amazing things with a lift as well as a scene grabbing bricks being tossed to him (albeit achieved by reversing the negative). The drinking with co-workers keeps the laughs going and continue through the final confrontation with the wife as Chaplin's uproarious balletic grace remains in fine form from start to finish.
Reviewed by Horst_In_Translation 6 / 10

How did that marriage happen?

This may be the short film from Charlie Chaplin, in which he plays the most tragic character of his career. At work, he's hungry and needs to steal his co-worker's lunch. He's married to a considerably older, not even remotely attractive gold-digger wife, who's a pest to poor old Charlie. And finally, when he receives the paycheck, which is as low always, and tries to hide it, the wife takes it away immediately. No surprise the little man goes to the bar at night to drink away his sorrows. When he decides to get home, all the trains are packed and Charlie repeatedly attempts to hop on one, but here he comes as short as everywhere else. So after a long walk through the rain, he finally reaches the dragon's cave and as the alarm clock rings, the dragon makes sure in resolute fashion that Charlie (without food and sleep) gets to work early in the morning again.I feel most Chaplin short films haven't aged too well, but this one is an exception, mainly thanks to Phyllis Allen, whose characters interactions with Chaplin are a joy to watch. The scenes with the two are easily the highlight, i.e. the return from work and the scenes right at the end. She's truly sinister and I wouldn't have minded if she had starred in a couple more Chaplin films. The construction work scenes early on were okay. The pub scenes were the weakest part of the film, although the butcher wagon was kinda funny. I believe this is one of the better Chaplin short films and a good start to get in the legendary silent actor's body of work.
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