Charlie Chaplin Films

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Charlie Chaplin was one of the early innovators in the film industry in the early 20th century, and was both creative and a perfectionist. As such, his earliest films are short, funny, and with a very “impromptu” feel—as time goes by, Chaplin expands his range and stretches his creative muscles. Finally, he makes a break from the silent films that made him famous, and in a very daring film (The Great Dictator) leaves behind forever The Tramp, the character that made him world famous. However, these later films are wonderful, funny, serious and thought-provoking, and not to be overlooked. In chronological order, his films are:

Charlie Chaplin films at United Artists

A Countess from Hong Kong (full length) (1967): Marlon Brando plays an American millionaire leaving Hong Kong to assume an ambassadorship. He discovers Sophia Loren—playing a daughter of Russian aristocrats and a former gangster moll—concealed in his closet on board the outbound ship, hoping to gain passage to the States. A unique Charlie Chaplin film in that Chaplin plays no role (although he does have a cameo appearance)
The Chaplin Review (full length) (1959): Three Chaplin silent comedies “A Dog’s Life”, “Shoulder Arms”, and “The Pilgrim” are strung together to form a single feature length film, with new music composed by Charlie Chaplin, narrated by Chaplin, and a small amount of new connecting material..
A King in New York (full length) (1957): The story is about an overthrown monarch who arrives in New York to find that his prime minister has absconded with all his funds. Running up massive bills in his hotel, he is persuaded to make television commercials. Meanwhile, the monarch meets a precocious lad who is being harassed by government agents to betray his parents. Frustrated by American society, he leaves the country, but not before he passes on to the young boy the hope for a better future.
Limelight (full length) (read review of LimeLight) (1953): The story of a once-great stage comedian, who’s career has failed and has become an alcholic, who saves the life of a despondent ballerina from a suicide attempt. The film is a juxtaposition of these two personalities, one who rallies & goes onward, the other who falls further.
Monsieur Verdoux (full length) (1947): This blistering black comedy was way ahead of its time when released in 1947. Chaplin plays Henri Verdoux (who assumes a number of identities), a civilized monster who marries wealthy women, then murders them and collects their money to support his real family.
The Great Dictator (full length) (read review of The Great Dictator) (1940): In Chaplin’s classic satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double—a poor Jewish barber—who one day is mistaken for Hynkel.
Modern Times (full length) (read review of Modern Times) (1936): Charlie Chaplin’s legendary satire of the mechanized world. As a factory worker driven bonkers by the soulless momentum of work, Chaplin executes a series of slapstick routines around machines, including a memorable encounter with an automatic feeding apparatus, as well as creating a touching relationship between the Tramp and a street gamine played by Paulette Goddard.
City Lights (full length) (read review of City Lights) (1931): Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp befriends a blind flower girl, trying to raise the money for the operation to restore her sight. One of Chaplin’s best films.
The Circus (full length) (read review of The Circus) (1928): At the midway of a failing circus, The Little Tramp falls into a series of comic routines that end when, pursued by a cop, he bursts into the tent’s center ring and wows the audience. The circus owner auditions The Little Tramp as a clown but discovers he is only funny when he isn’t trying. He tricks The Little Tramp into joining the circus as a prop man who wreaks havoc with whatever he does and who unknowingly becomes the star of the show.
The Gold Rush (full length) (read review of The Gold Rush) (1925): A lone prospector (Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp) ventures into Alaska looking for gold. He gets mixed up with some burly characters and falls in love with the beautiful Georgia. He tries to win her heart with his singular charm.
A Woman of Paris (full length) (1923): A film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, designed to launch Edna Purviance into a serious acting career. A good film, although not a comedy.

Charlie Chaplin films at First National

The Pilgrim (4 reels) (1923): Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp is an escaped convict who swipes a parson’s clothing. On the lamb, he is mistaken for a real minister, and tries to fill those shoes.
Pay Day (2 reels) (1922): Chaplin plays a humble working man confused about the amount of his paycheck and how to keep it away from his wife.
The Kid (6 reels) (read review of The Kid) (1920): Chaplin’s first full-length movie, and one of his best—the Tramp befriends an orphaned child, raises him as only the Tramp could, and then struggles to keep the boy when circumstances threaten to tear them apart.
The Idle Class (2 reels) (1920): Chaplin plays two roles, leading to a delightful case of mistaken identity. As an inebriate society gentleman, he neglects his heartbroken wife. As The Little Tramp, he fantasizes about a wonderful life with her.
Sunnyside (3 reels) (1919): Originally titled “Jack of All Trades,” The Little Tramp works as a hotel desk clerk, janitor and cook, as well as a cattle herder, ballet dancer, swooning suitor and jealous swain.
A Day’s Pleasure (2 reels) (1919): Reminiscent of Chaplin’s earlier two-reelers, the fun is in the action as The Little Tramp escapes unscathed while those around him find themselves helplessly enmeshed in the mess he leave behind.
A Dog’s Life (3 reels) (1918): The story of two underdogs, human and canine, succeeding against the odds - a very funny slapstick comedy
Shoulder Arms (3 reels) (1918): The story of The Little Tramp’s heroic efforts in and out of the trenches of World War I. An inept soldier, The Little Tramp redeems himself in a series of hilarious adventures, including capturing Kaiser Wilhelm—all in a dream.
The Bond (split reel) (1918): Charlie Chaplin’s help for the war effort (World War I) - a few short skits illustrate the different kind of bonds, including the most important - Liberty Bonds!

Mutual Films of Charlie Chaplin

Easy Street (2 reels) (1917): As a rookie cop in the city’s toughest neighborhood, a slum overrun with bullies, drug addicts, and gangsters, the good hearted Chaplin isn’t above a little unconventional policing—when his billy club proves ineffective on gargantuan Eric Campbell’s thick skull, he resorts to gassing him with a compliant street lamp.
The Cure (2 reels) (1917): When The Tramp goes to a sanatorium in order to give up drinking, he comes prepared with a trunk full of alcohol. The revolving door becomes a comic centerpiece (like the escalator in The Floorwalker), which befuddles the inebriated Chaplin and infuriates gout-stricken nemesis Eric Campbell.
The Immigrant (2 reels) (read review of The Immigrant) (1917): Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp comes to America, on a rolling boat, having to contend with poverty and a head waiter, only to get the girl and live happily ever after
The Adventurer (2 reels) (1917): This film finds Charlie as an escaped convict who hides out in a high society party crawling with cops.
The Floorwalker (2 reels) (1916): Charlie Chaplin turned an escalator into the centerpiece this movie, where as a impish clerk continually incites the store’s crooked manager (Eric Campbell)
The Fireman (2 reels) (1916): In The Fireman, Charlie Chaplin is an inept fireman, bullied and eventually fired by his chief, Eric Campbell. Later, when Eric has been bribed to let a house burn down in an insurance scheme, with Eric’s girlfriend (Edna Purviance) trapped in the building, it’s Charlie to the rescue!
The Vagabond (2 reels) (1916): A plotline very similar to Chaplin’s feature-length film, The Circus. Charlie the tramp hides out in the country, only to rescue a girl (Edna Purviance) from a band of gypsies (led by Eric Campbell). The girl later has her picture painted by an artist, which a rich woman recognizes as her long-lost granddaughter. The women are reunited, but Charlie mistakenly thinks that the girl and the artist have fallen in love, and he leaves, forsaking his own feelings for the girl for her happiness.
One A.M. (2 reels) (1916): Charlie Chaplin does not play the Tramp in this movie, but rather his older character of the Inebriate, trying to get into bed, and fighting with every imaginable inanimate object trying to prevent it.
The Count (2 reels) (1916): Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp is working as a tailor, who burns the pants of the rich Count whom he works for—Charlie is summarily fired. Finding a party invitation in the Count’s pants, Charlie crashes the party disguised as the Count, vieing for Edna Purviance’s affections against Eric Campbell - and all is ruined when the real Count arrives.
The Pawnshop (2 reels) (1916): Charlie the Tramp is working in a pawnshop, and when Charlie is not taking apart an alarm clock to determine whether it works (ruining it in the process - this is a classic Charlie Chaplin moment) or coming up with comic bits, he’s getting in trouble with his boss, the pawnbroker (Henry Bergman), whose daughter (Edna Purviance) he is in love with. The inept Charlie is fired, but redeems himself by capturing a burgler (Eric Campbell).
Behind the Screen (2 reels) (1916): An early satire on the film industry, where Charlie is an overworked stagehand, abused by Eric Campbell, who falls in love with Edna Purviance who has disguised herself as a man in order to get a job. The other workers eventually revolt, and destroy the movie studio.
The Rink (2 reels) (1916): A hilarious short that has Charlie Chaplin puts him on roller skates for a ballet on wheels—and Eric Campbell is wonderful as the “heavy”

Charlie Chaplin films at Essanay

Triple Trouble (2 reels) (1918)
Carmen (released by Essanay in 1916 as Charlie Chaplin’s Burlesque on Carmen) (4 reels) (1916)
Police (2 reels) (1916)
His New Job (2 reels) (1915)
A Night Out (2 reels) (1915)
The Champion (2 reels) (1915)
In The Park (1915)
The Jitney Elopement (2 reels) (1915)
The Tramp (2 reels) (1915)
By the Sea (1915)
Work (2 reels) (1915)
A Woman (2 reels) (1915)
The Bank (2 reels) (1915)
Shanghaied (2 reels) (1915)
A Night in the Show (2 reels) (1915)

Charlie Chaplin films at Keystone

Making a Living (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin’s first movie, where he plays not the Tramp, but a rather typical Keystone villian, Edward English
Kid Auto Races at Venice (split reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin’s first appearance as the little tramp, trying to ‘get in the picture’ during the filming at Venice Beach of kids’ races
Mabel’s Strange Predicament (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin, appearing as foil to Mabel Normand, who at the time was a much larger star than Charlie Chaplin
Between Showers (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin competes with Ford Sterling (at the time, a major comedy film star) for the right to help a pretty young woman across a muddy street.
A Film Johnnie (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin’s tramp character is a star-struck movie patron, who becomes determined to meet the film heroine that he’s become infatuated with at the Keystone movie studio. Along the way he interacts with Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle and Ford Sterling, and nearly ruins the studio.
Tango Tangles (1 reel) (1914): Playing not his well-known little tramp character, Charlie Chaplin plays his older character, an inebriate who visits a dance hall. Charlie has to compete with the band leader (Ford Sterling) and a musician (Fatty Arbuckle) for the affections of the wardrobe girl.
His Favorite Pastime (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin in ‘His Favorite Pastime’, a very early appearance of the little tramp
Cruel, Cruel Love (1 reel) (1914): ‘Cruel, Cruel Love’ stars Charlie Chaplin, though not as the little tramp, as a man who thinks he’s been jilted by the woman he loves and tries to commit suicide
The Star Boarder (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin as ‘the little tramp’ in ‘The Star Boarder’ - a silent film where he becomes his landlady’s favorite, much to her husband’s consternation ...
Mabel at the Wheel (2 reels) (1914): In Mabel at the Wheel, Charlie Chaplin is not playing his familiar tramp clown, but a generic movie villain. The basic premise has the villainous Charlie trying to win a race by hook or crook, as well as trying to impress Mabel Normand. He later locks up his racing rival (Mabel’s boyfriend), forcing Mabel to take his place, with Charlie still trying to cheat his was to the finish line.
Twenty Minutes of Love (1 reel) (1914): A silent short film starring Charlie Chaplin as his famous little tramp, trying to find love in a park on a sunny day, only to have complications arrive in the persons of a pickpocket ... and a police officer
Caught in a Cabaret (2 reels) (1914): ‘Caught in a Cabaret’ is a short film from 1914 starring Charlie Chaplin and the film’s writer/director Mabel Normand. Chaplin plays a waiter who fakes being a Greek Ambassador to impress a girl. He then is invited to a garden party where he gets in trouble with the girl’s jealous boyfriend.
Caught in the Rain (1 reel) (1914): ‘Caught in the Rain’ is an early (1914) Charlie Chaplin short silent film, made at Keystone Studios, co-starring Mabel Normand, where Charlie gets in trouble for trying to be a little to friendly to a woman (whom he was unaware was married) and later has to try to get out of the situation when the same woman, sleepwalking, comes into his hotel room.
A Busy Day (split reel) (1914): In ‘A Busy Day’, Charlie Chaplin (in drag) plays a wife jealous of her husband’s (Mack Swain) interest in another woman. On her way to attack the couple, the wife interrupts the set of a film, knocking over a film director, played by Mack Sennett, and a police officer, played by Billy Gilbert. Finally, the husband pushes Charlie Chaplin off of a pier, where he/she falls into a harbor.
The Fatal Mallet (1 reel) (1914): A very funny short silent film, that’s pure, unadulterated slapstick. There’s a three-way fight over Mabel Normand between Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennet and Mack Swain—and Charlie’s armed with bricks, and a ridiculously-large mallet. Very funny, and highly recommended.
Her Friend the Bandit (1 reel) (1914): The only ‘lost’ Charlie Chaplin film—no known copies exist
The Knockout (2 reels) (1914): The Knockout is a boxing film starring Fatty Arbuckle and Edgar Kennedy—Charlie Chaplin makes a cameo appearance as the referee who’s trying to avoid being hurt.
Mabel’s Busy Day (1 reel) (1914): In ‘Mabel’s Busy Day’, Mabel Normand is trying to sell hot dogs at a car race, but isn’t doing a very good job. She sets down the box of hot dogs and leaves them for a moment, only for Charlie Chaplin to find them and give them away to the hungry spectators as Mabel frantically tries to find her lost box of hot dogs. Mabel finds out that Charlie has stolen them and sends the police after him. Chaos ensues.
Mabel’s Married Life (1 reel) (1914): An early Charlie Chaplin short film, ‘Mabel’s Married Life’ has Mabel Normand married to the weak, easily-intimidated Charlie, who doesn’t defend his wife when a masher (Chaplin regular Mack Swain) tries to make time with her. Feeling utterly worthless, Charlie goes off to a bar and gets drunk—meantime, Mabel buys a boxing dummy to build up Charlie’s strength and confidence. But when the now-tipsy Charlie comes home, he mistakes the dummy for the masher.
Laughing Gas (1 reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin’s directing debut, ‘Laughing Gas’ - Although only a dental assistant, Charlie pretends to be the dentist. After receiving too much anesthesia, a patient can’t stop laughing, so Charlie knocks him out with a club. Charlie is then sent to the drug store by the dentist, gets in a fight with a man who receives a brick in the face, thus becoming another dental patient. He also pulls the skirt off of the dentist’s wife while she is outside walking. At one point Charlie pulls a the wrong tooth from an unfortunate patient, using over sized pliers.
The Property Man (2 reels) (1914): In ‘The Property Man’, Charlie Chaplin is the property man of the title, and has trouble with actors’ luggage and conflicts over who gets the star’s dressing room.
The Face on the Bar-room Floor (1 reel) (1914): ‘The Face on the Bar Room Floor’ is a short movie written by, directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin in 1914 for Keystone Studios. Inspired by the poem of the same name.
Recreation (split reel) (1914): Charlie Chaplin’s silent short film, ‘Recreation’, where Charlie the little tramp vies with a sailor for the affection of a girl, with a fight with bricks, that gets the attention of a police officer ...
The Masquerader (1 reel) (1914): In ‘The Masquerader’, Charlie Chaplin plays the part of an actor who, after a slapstick interaction with Fatty Arbuckle, bungles several scenes and is fired. He returns in disguise as a beautiful young, lady and charms the director into hiring ‘her’—but when he reveals his identity, a chase ensues, with Charlie ending up in a well.
His New Profession (1 reel) (1914): One of Charlie Chaplin’s early comedies for the Keystone Studios - which probably proves to demonstrate why you shouldn’t hire Charlie the little tramp to take care of your wheelchair-bound uncle!
The Rounders (1 reel) (1914): ‘The Rounders’ involves two drunks, Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, fighting with their wives who then go out to get even drunken.