David Farnor | On 01, Jan 2017

Heard of BFI Player? Well, there’s also BFI Player+, a subscription service that offers an all-you-can-eat selection of hand-picked classics.

Every Friday, Mark Kermode highlights one of the collection’s titles with a video introduction. This week, following Mark’s highlighting of The Immigrant, BFI launches a mini-season of four Charlie Chaplin shorts – just the thing for light, easy viewing after an indulgent Christmas and New Year.

Here are the latest titles on BFI Player+ this week:

Easy Street

The Little Tramp decides to start anew and train as a police officer. What could possibly go wrong?

The Fireman

In this classic short, Chaplin plays a bumbling fireman who gets caught up in an insurance scam.

The Cure

In one of his essential shorts for Mutual, Chaplin plays a drunkard who checks into a health spa – with a case full of booze.

One A.M.

One of Chaplin’s most ingenious shorts, this stunning showcase for his solo comic talents sees him playing a drunken man returning home to navigate his apartment.

The Party

A short, but not by Chaplin, this 1962 film follows an art school get-together where a boy blows his chances with his date.

The Party’s Over

Oliver Reed stars in Guy Hamilton’s 1963 film about a group of Chelsea beatniks, who find themselves joined by enigmatic young woman Melina. Their wild, drunken partying, though, leads to dark consequences – as highlighted by the fact that the BBFC didn’t look kindly upon the film upon its release. John Barry, who worked with Hamilton on Goldfinger, composes the music.

Genevieve

Henry Cornelius’ 1953 comedy about two vintage car enthusiasts racing from Brighton to London stars Kay Kendall, John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan, poking fun at the battle of the sexes, not to mention boasting attractive photography of 1950s London and the titular 1904 Darracq.

 

A BFI Player+ subscription costs £4.99 a month with a 30-day free trial. For more information, visit http://player.bfi.org.uk.
 

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