Struck by DeMille’s film, which had brought the legendary Geraldine Farrar to the big screen, and in line with the fashion of the time, Chaplin decided to make a parody of Carmen, which would have been his last film for Essanay. Unfortunately, when Chaplin was hired by Mutual Corporation, the directors of Essanay were determined to work their goose down to the last golden egg and extended the film’s duration from two to four reels using material scrapped by Chaplin and asking Leo White to shoot additional scenes. The film was released in April of 1916, and after seeing the final result Chaplin was so upset he had to lay in bed for two days. Not even a lawsuit stopped Essanay from distributing the film. In 1999, David Shepard used Chaplin’s written testimony to reconstruct Chaplin’s original film, and today the restored version of it can be seen. Despite the use of materials from different generations and of varying quality, Burlesque on Carmen is still a small gem with an impeccably choreographed duel, which at times seems a game of pool, a wrestling match and a sublime ballet. The grace of Chaplin and the brightness of his eyes were never so dazzling.