Charlie Chaplin's early silent films, produced for the Essanay and Mutual
studios, are out of copyright, and now in the public domain. This means that
they are cheap source material for DVD's, and hence available from a number
of producers.
Chaplin's film,
A Jitney Elopement, from 1915, features a car chase
along the seaward end of Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco, and hence has
good footage of the
two windmills there. In particular the cars circle
around in front of the Murphy windmill, which was hard at work pumping
water to irrigate the park at this time.
This short film can be found on at least 3 DVD's in the UK:
-
BFIVD558 (The British Film Institute) The Essanay Films Volume 1;
2 discs containing: His New Job, A Night Out, The Champion,
In the Park, A Jitney Elopement, The Tramp, By the Sea, Work.
Extras: Photo gallery, text essay on Chaplin at Essanay.
-
SVD5026 (Stonevision) Charlie Chaplin Collection Volume 6; 1 disc
containing: The Champion, In the Park, A Jitney Elopement,
Triple Trouble
-
761279 (Elstree Hill Entertainment) Charlie Chaplin Collection Volume 2;
1 disc containing: A Jitney Elopement, A Burlesque on Carmen,
A Night in the Show, His New Job.
There is an extensive listing of Chaplin's British DVD's at
The Charlie Chaplin UK DVD and Video Guide. Note that just because
the film rights come for free, the DVD's themselves are not necessarily
all that cheap to purchase!
A Jitney Elopement, by Charlie Chaplin