Laughing Gas (1914)

Laughing Gas is a 1914 film starring Charlie Chaplin. The film has also been known as Busy Little Dentist, Down and Out, Laffing Gas, The Dentist, and Tuning His Ivories. Here he stars as a dental assistant who causes chaos not only at the dental office he works at but throughout the city as well. 

In this short film, it is evident that Chaplin excels at slapstick humor. Throughout the film characters are seen falling, punching, slapping, running into doors, kicking, and stepping on one another. Although physical humor isn't necessarily my cup of tea, it is clear why Chaplin was so popular during the silent era. He brings an aura of lightheartedness. One thing I definitely noted was that Chaplin along with his cast mates are always moving hastily. The characters in the film are very animated, similar to what we saw in The Last Laugh. Unlike in that film, the dramatic facial expressions and movements are much more comedic and clearly done to bring about laughter.