One could claim with next to no issue that 1915 was Charlie Chaplin's most pivotal year. Already established as a box office draw and poised to explode into feature movies in just shy of a decade, the silent comedy icon used this time to hone the image that would soon enrapture the whole world. In transitioning from Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios to new digs over at Essanay, Chaplin began presenting his onscreen persona less as an impetuous mischief maker and more as the tragic clown forever in search of life's silver linings. But that isn't to say this period of adjustment wasn't on the rough side, as the human angle our performer extraordinaire tried introducing into his vehicles frequently found itself at odds with the crude and tactless hijinks he still had to enact. Flicker Alley's Chaplin's Essanay Comedies collection is a painstakingly-restored chronicle of this formative chapter in the Tramp's evolution, with special features and an audio-visual overhaul that should give the character's admirers cause for cheer...even if the flicks found within aren't their star's best work.

As shorts are where the oats of Chaplin's fame were initially sown, so are they encoded in the high-definition walls of this Blu-ray set. Fifteen one-reelers, to be exact, are what fans can expect, an array of follies in which dear Charles makes both merry and melodramatic. Most of these pint-sized farces feature our hero leaving chaos in his wake as he stumbles through a variety of odd jobs. Shanghaied thrusts him onto the deck of a seafaring vessel; The Bank has him playing a klutzy janitor; and The Champion pits him in the ring against a bloodthirsty boxer. But while rampant slapstick is the rule where the bulk of these titles are concerned, there are those that allow Chaplin to show off his bittersweet inclinations. With such pictures as Police and especially The Tramp ending on less light-hearted notes than the norm, it was clear the filmmaker was exploring new avenues through which he could potentially touch the hearts of audiences. It was a choppy start, but soon enough, Chaplin would be well on his way to using this infant medium of cinema to imbue stories of laughter with pathos and thematic depth.

For Chaplin disciples, the Essanay Comedies are nothing short of essential viewing. As a guy whose introduction to the filmmaking marvel included the hilarious yet heart-rending likes of Modern Times, it was fascinating to see him lay the groundwork of masterpieces to come via these artistic stepping stones. Whereas audiences of the era saw Burlesque on Carmen and its brethren as amusing little diversions, Chaplin was tweaking his scenarios to allow for emotional complexity wherever possible. When it comes to His Regeneration -- the set's most straightforwardly dramatic piece -- this doesn't really count, as the Tramp makes but a fleeting cameo appearance. But whether it's The Bank's bumbling hero being met with a cold dose of reality or Police's jailbird protagonist looking for redemption, the ways in which Chaplin tries to enrich the comedy at hand with a little extra something are many and admirable.

Still, despite Chaplin's vision and best intentions, the Essanay Comedies are, to put it mildly, not very entertaining. I'll admit it's an issue of preference, one akin to how I enjoy the latter-day Marx Brothers vehicles that added some focus to their anarchic antics more so than their earlier works, in which the guys declared war on everyone who got in their way. Chaotic is very much the operative word when it comes to the Essanay shorts, whether it's the Tramp or an altogether different creation who's taking center stage. Chaplin rains torrents of smacking, clobbering, and more varieties of slapstick mayhem down upon his co-stars, with the lion's share of it out of the blue and geared toward total strangers who did nothing to deserve it. It's strange for the Tramp to be knocking peoples' hats off because he feels like it, though he might have gotten away with acting the rascal, had Chaplin not been so committed to exercising those empathetic storytelling muscles of his. Speaking about the human condition is tough to accomplish when you're slapping passersby with mops and being a general nuisance, instead of serving as the everyman just trying to get by as intended. The concept of Chaplin coming off as more naughty than the norm isn't in and of itself bad, nor are all of these films wholly bereft of cleverness. But Charlie's shenanigans here just simply aren't (in most cases) choreographed with much craft to speak of, comprised of no consistent flow that allows the audience to find satisfaction in their set-up or execution.

For their historical value, Chaplin's Essanay Comedies are a must to catch, welcome treats to those silent comedy fans clamoring to see the Tramp's earliest screen appearances done justice in glorious hi-def. But outside of filling a particular void, there isn't much enjoyment to be taken away from these shorts, with those possessing some degree of dramatic heft or smile-inducing wit greatly outnumbered by flicks that call it a day with a conk on the head. If you've loved the films for a while regardless, then Chaplin's Essanay Comedies couldn't come in a more spiffy or satisfying package; if it's your first time, however, then ready yourself for the possibility that even a master like Charlie could churn out some duds.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

-A booklet with behind-the-scenes photographs and an essay from film historian Jeffrey Vance.

-Two extra Chaplin shorts: Triple Trouble and Charlie Butts In.

-DVD copies of the films and bonus features.

(Released by Flicker Alley; not rated by MPAA.)