10 Charlie Chaplin movies everyone should watch

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Timeless cinematic classics with the most recognizable comedian.

Even those who are not interested in classic cinematography and silent films surely know the awkward tramp in a bowler hat with a strange gait. The great actor and director Charlie Chaplin turned comedy into a real art, and his funny sketches often coexist with drama and touching scenes.

Having arrived from his native Great Britain to the United States, Chaplin soon found himself in the world of cinema, where he came up with the famous image. The tramp is a vivid example of contradictions and combinations of the incongruous. He has huge pants and boots, but his coat is too tight and a small bowler hat. He is always dirty and unkempt, but behaves intelligently. The tramp is a joker and a womanizer, but at the same time shy and touching.

This perfectly reflected the life of Chaplin himself, who started out simply as a minor actor in short films, and then became one of the greatest authors in the history of cinema. He himself wrote the scripts, directed and produced his films, and he himself played the main role in them.

1. Kid

• USA, 1921.
• Comedy, drama, family.
• Duration: 68 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

A poor single mother throws her toddler in an expensive car, hoping that the new parents will be able to provide the child with a good life. But the car is stolen, and the baby himself is thrown into the trash. There, a tramp stumbles upon him, who, finding no other way out, leaves the baby to himself.

Five years later, they already live like a real family, however, they do not earn in the most honest ways. But soon they try to separate the adoptive parent from the adopted son.

Having tried on the image of a tramp in short stories, Chaplin wanted to make his own full-fledged film, in which comic episodes coexist with touching moments. To do this, he found a young actor Jackie Coogan, who played in a variety show with his father. And suddenly this duo became the favorites of all America. The picture was at the box office with great success, which opened the way for Chaplin to the big cinema.

2. Pilgrim

• USA, 1923.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 47 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The main character escapes from prison and changes into the clothes of a pastor. Choosing a train at random, he goes to a Texas town, where, by coincidence, a new priest is just waiting. He conducts the first service, but gradually realizes that he got the opportunity to really start a new life.

This is Chaplin's last short work - after he began filming in his own studio. And generally recognized "Pilgrim" came out as a real masterpiece, showing the path of the hero from a simple thief to an honest man.

In the same 1923, Chaplin decided to shoot an uncharacteristic psychological drama "Parisienne". Then the majority of viewers did not appreciate the picture, since they expected only the image of a tramp from Chaplin. But over the years, the tape was recognized as a phenomenon that in many ways surpassed the cinema of that time.

3. Gold rush

• USA, 1925.
• Comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

The little tramp travels to Alaska during the gold rush. The incident leads him to the hut of the criminal Black Larsen, where Big Jim, who recently found gold, also ends up. Then the heroes go their separate ways, but fate again brings them together in a small town.

This is the first Chaplin comedy in which the full script was pre-written. And the author approached the work with the utmost care. Two and a half thousand vagrants were hired for the opening scene where the prospectors set off for the mountains. At the same time, the shooting took place in real mountains in bad weather, but as a director, Chaplin demanded dozens of takes to shoot in order to achieve the perfect result.

In scenes with a vagrant, combined shooting and background overlay were repeatedly used. Chaplin re-edited the painting 27 times before creating the final version. And in 1942 he rewrote the film. He changed some scenes and added music and voiceover. It is this version that is now most famous all over the world.

But most of all, the audience fell in love with some of the stunning comedy scenes from the film: the dance of pies, eating a shoe and the moment where the Tramp resists the storm, trying to get out of the hut. All of them went down in the history of cinema.

4. Circus

• USA, 1928.
• Comedy, melodrama.
• Duration: 72 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The tramp, as usual, gets into trouble - the police are chasing him. He hides in a circus, accidentally enters the arena and immediately becomes a favorite of the public. But life here is not at all like a holiday: it is led by a cruel man who even tortures his daughter. By the way, the tramp falls in love with her.

In preparation for his role in this film, Chaplin really had to master the skill of balancing act in order to show the scene where he enters the arena instead of a tightrope walker. And this time his work was appreciated not only by the audience - "Circus" was nominated for an Oscar in four main categories.

But then all these nominations were removed and Charlie Chaplin was awarded the honorary out-of-competition award "For versatility and genius in acting, screenwriting, directing and production, as shown in the film" Circus ".

And also a very funny legend is connected with this picture. After the release of the film on DVD in 2010, someone noticed a woman in additional footage from the set, allegedly talking on a cell phone. And there and then the assumptions that it is a time traveler rained down. In fact, she is either holding a hearing aid, or simply covering her face.

5. Big city lights

• USA, 1931.
• Comedy, drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

The tramp runs into a beautiful blind girl who is a flower dealer. Due to a couple of coincidences, she thinks that she has met a handsome rich man, and the hero does not dare to reveal the truth to her. Having learned that the operation can restore the girl's eyesight, the tramp decides to get the necessary amount by all means.

Chaplin came up with this story after he heard the story of a blind clown who tried not to show his sick daughter his illness. However, in the process of working on the script, the idea changed a lot. Due to the Great Depression, the shooting had to be postponed several times, but still Chaplin finished his picture. By this time, talkies already existed, but Charlie still continued to make silent films. And he himself began to write music for his paintings.

After the release, the tape was very popular, although it did not receive any awards. But years later, the American Film Institute put "City Lights" at the top of the list of the best romantic comedies.

6. New times

• USA, 1936.
• Comedy, drama, family.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

A tramp works in a factory, but his exorbitant pace and workloads lead him to a nervous breakdown. After being treated in a psychiatric hospital, his life goes downhill. The tramp ends up in prison, and when he is released, he does not know what to do. Soon he meets a girl - as poor as himself. And together they have to cope with adversity.

Chaplin again spoke on important social topics, revealing the life of the lower classes during the Great Depression. It is easier for his hero to be in prison, since there is no suitable occupation for him in the mechanized world at large. According to the original idea, the ending of the picture looked gloomy: the tramp again ended up in the hospital, and the girl went to a nun. But Charlie decided to give his heroes a chance, adding optimism to the finale.

Initially, he wanted to make a sound film, but he could not imagine that the tramp would ever speak on the screen - his language was pantomime. And yet, at the end of the picture, you can hear his voice: the tramp walks onto the stage of the restaurant and sings. True, he immediately forgets the text, instead of which meaningless gibberish sounds, supposedly in a foreign language. So the first words of the famous character became a farewell to the hero - later Chaplin moved further and further from this image.

7. Great dictator

• USA, 1940.
• Comedy, satire, drama.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

A Jewish barber from the fictional state of Tomania is injured in the war and ends up in a hospital for a long time, losing his memory. During this time, the dictator Adenoid Hinkel comes to power, who hates Jews, and at the same time is very similar to the main character. Hinkel wants to conquer the whole world, and at this time the barber is trying to return to normal life.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, Charlie Chaplin conceived a film making fun of Hitler. On this he was prompted by the similarity of the image of a tramp with the appearance of the leader of the fascists. Chaplin was also deeply worried about the increasing persecution of Jews in Europe. As a result, he created his first sound film, where the image of the vagabond was almost a thing of the past, and social and political problems came to the fore.

At that time, the United States still maintained neutrality with Germany, and therefore there were fears that the picture would not be released at all. However, at the time of release, the Nazis had already captured France. That is why Chaplin literally added a final speech at the last moment, which became one of the most recognizable scenes in cinema.

In 1941, the "Great Dictator" was nominated for an Oscar in five categories at once. Including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor.

8. Monsieur Verdoux

• USA, 1947.
• Comedy, drama, crime.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

In the thirties, the charming ladies' man Henri Verdoux trades in Paris. During the Great Depression, he lost his job and all his savings. Now, in order to support his disabled wife and son, he turned into a con man and a murderer, and takes possession of the fortune of single ladies.

The idea for this film was given to Charlie Chaplin by another great director - Orson Welles. He offered to tell the story of the famous murderer Henri Landru. But Chaplin rethought the plot and introduced a new hero, endowing him with the necessary morality in the final of the picture.

Here he completely abandoned the image of a vagabond and shot a harder story filled with black humor. Despite the fact that the experiment was successful, the film failed at the box office. Not because of the plot or the filming. It was just at this time that the whole country was discussing Chaplin's political predilections, his extramarital affairs and problems with taxes. It is not surprising that the public and critics took up arms against him.

9. Ramp lights

• USA, 1952.
• Drama, musical, melodrama.
• Duration: 137 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

An elderly clown Calvero saves a dancer from suicide, who has decided to commit suicide due to illness. He cares for the girl, helps her get better and return to the stage again. But Calvero's performances are getting worse.

After the flops, Charlie Chaplin thought he was making his last film. That is why the picture came out in many respects autobiographical.

The action begins in 1914, when Chaplin himself was just beginning to work in England as a music hall artist. The hero's relationship with the dancer is in many ways similar to the novel by Charlie and O'Neill. And on stage, Calvero in many ways resembles the famous tramp. Although the image of the main character, according to Chaplin, appeared after he saw the aging comedian Frank Tinney: over the years, he lost the ease of communication with the audience and his performances looked worse every time.

Chaplin invited almost all of his children and close relatives to play small roles in the picture. It also stars longtime partner of the actor Edna Purvians and legendary comedian Buster Keaton.

But although the film was filmed in the United States, it was only released in Europe. In the states, the picture was not shown due to previous suspicions of sympathy for the Communists and a massive discussion of personal life. And when the director went to the premiere in London, he was banned from entering the United States. In America, the film was released only 20 years later.

10. King of New York

• Great Britain, 1957.
• Comedy, drama.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

The king of the country of Estrovia named Shadav fled to New York after his project of using atomic energy for peaceful purposes did not suit other ruling circles of the country. He admires the United States, but soon meets a boy, Rupert, whose parents are communists, sentenced to two years for insulting Congress. And then Shadava's illusions about the land of freedom collapse.

After moving from the United States, Charlie Chaplin filmed for the first time in his homeland in the UK. And he got into the American rental only in the seventies. The director again turned to personal topics - he spoke about the destruction of illusions about life in the states. And he again showed that the image of a vagabond remained far in the past, and the actor Chaplin is able to cope with any role.

This is the last film where he starred. Later, Chaplin also directed The Countess from Hong Kong, but the director appeared there only in a small cameo.