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This is not Charles Chaplin's comedy. It is not a comedy at all, it is quite serious a thoughtful movie. Chaplin only makes a brief cameo at the beginning of the movie when he chats with the girl in the lounge and then gets chased off by her boyfriend. That scene is not particularly funny nor does it add anything to the story. At that time Chaplin was a business associate with 'Broncho Billy' Anderson and he helped with the story.

The film is quite alright. The low score is probably by the people who were disappointed that it wasn't a Chaplin's comedy. Nonetheless, the film isn't great - it raises a good point but it does nothing to maximize it.

Its only worth is to those who want to see everything that Chaplin has ever made

'The Flapper' is a charming girl power movie. It is obvious that it was aimed at teenage girls and young women who dreamed about more adventurous life like its protagonist. Chick-flick of the 1920s. Olive Thomas stars as sixteen-year-old Genevieve who is sent into a boarding school by his strict senator father. Life in school is dull and she longs for adventures. Her life gets even more exciting for her than she first could have hoped for. Olive Thomas is adorable and her performance as a naive girl is a perfect balance between seriousness and comedy.

The writing is good, especially the first hour of the movie. The conclusion is a little bit disappointing, it felt rushed. It is kinda feel-good fantasy, although there are quite dark undertones - a young girl charms an older good looking man. And then there is the heist. In this case, also you have to notice that the thief, Tom 'The Eel' Morran (sinister portrayal by Arthur Housman) is paired with a schoolgirl, Genevieve's schoolmate, Hortense (Katherine Johnston). But mostly, it is an amusing movie.

It was the first major movie that depicted the flapper lifestyle. Besides being entertaining, this movie also carries a historical value.

If there ever was any schizophrenic example of musicals then that would be 'The Great Gabbo'. This is disturbing psychological drama interrupted by lavish and wonderful dance and music numbers. James Cruze is credited as a director but to be honest most of the non-musical scenes have von Stroheim all written over them. And not only because von Stroheim played in them but there is some sort of very specific psychologically tense atmosphere in them. It is unknown to me how much control von Stroheim had over the production but it is clear (to everyone familiar with von Stroheim's work) that he at least gave some instructions.

The film is much more than just a curiosity - two seemingly different movies, a psychological drama, and a musical tied together. Erich von Stroheim brilliantly plays brilliant ventriloquist Gabbo who is mad or driven mad by his art. When we first meet Gabbo on the screen, we see an unpleasant cruel man who in his egocentrism and perfectionism blames everyone else for his failures. After his lover and partner Mary (Betty Compson) drops the tray in the middle of the performance, he accuses her again. She leaves her but not with a light heart. Pass the two years and they both have worked their way up into Broadway. They meet again when they both appear in the same review show.

The dramatic parts concentrating on Gabbo and his relationships with other people are good but quite poorly developed. Probably because of the forceful inclusion of the musical numbers that do nothing to forward the story or even add anything to it. And this is crystal clear while watching the movie. These would have worked in a lesser amount as just a backdrop for the story. Although, I have to say the musical numbers were interesting to watch but that was the wrong movie for them. The dramatic parts are heavy and the sudden transition into the musical numbers puts the viewer off. Although the musical numbers separately are interesting I found them distracting and thus it made it difficult to follow the story.

Although the movie is inconsistent and didn't quite work, it is still worth watching especially for its uniqueness in the musical category.