Chaplin’s childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship, as his father was absent and his mother struggled financially, and he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. He was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. He directed his own films and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he was one of the best-known figures in the world.
Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist, and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on the development and production of a picture. His films are characterised by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp’s struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements. He received an Honorary Academy Award for “the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century” in 1972, as part of a renewed appreciation for his work. He continues to be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films of all time.
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
Feature Films
- The Kid (1921)
- A Woman of Paris (1923)
- The Gold Rush (1925)
- The Circus (1928)
- City Lights (1931)
- Modern Times (1936)
- The Great Dictator (1940) – first talking picture
- Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
- Limelight (1952)
- A King in New York (1957)
- A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) first color film, last film
Keystone Studio
- Making a Living (1914)
- Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
- Mable’s Strange Predicament (1914)
- A Thief Catcher (1914)
- Between Showers (1914)
- A Film Johnnie (1914)
- Tango Tangles (1914)
- Her Favourite Pastime (1914)
- Cruel, Cruel Love (1914)
- The Star Boarder (1914)
- Mable at the Wheel (1914)
- Twenty Minutes of Love (1914) – writer/co-director)
- Caught in a Cabaret (1914)
- Caught in the Rain (1914) – writer/director
- A Busy Day (1914) – writer
- The Fatal Mallet (1914)
- Her Friend the Bandit (1914) co-director, lost
- The Knockout (1914)
- Mable’s Busy Day (1914)
- Mable’s Married Life (1914) co-writer/director
- Laughing Gas (1914) – writer/director
- The Propert Man (1914) – writer/director
- The Face on the Bar Room Floor (1914) – writer/director)
- Recreation (1914) – writer/director
- The Masquerader (1914) – writer/director)
- His New Profession (1914) – writer/director)
- The Rounders (1914) – writer/director
- The New Janitor (1914) writer/director
- Those Love Pangs (1914) –
- writer/director
- Dough and Dynamite (1914) – uncredited co-writer/director
- Gentlemen of Nerve (1914) – writer/director
- His Musical Career (1914) – writer/director
- His Trysting Place (1914) writer/director
- Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914) – feature film
- Getting Acquainted (1914) – writer/director
Essanay Film Manufacturing Company
- His New Job (1915) – co-writer/director
- A Night Out (1915) – writer/director
- The Champion (1915) – writer/director
- In the Park (1915) – writer/director
- A Jitney Elopement (1915) – writer/director
- The Tramp (1915) – writer/director
- By the Sea (1915) – writer/director
- Work (1915) – writer/director
- A Woman (1915) – writer/director
- The Bank (1915) – writer/director
- Shanghaied (1915) – writer/director
- A Night in the Snow (1915) – writer/director
- A Burlesque on Carmen (1915) – writer/director
- Police (1916) – writer/director
- Triple Trouble (1918) – co-writer/co-director [Compilation assembled by Leo White with scenes from Police and an unfinished short, Life, along with new material shot by White. Chaplin includes this production in the filmography of his autobiography.]
Mutual Film Corporation
- The Floorwalker (1916) – co-writer/director
- The Fireman (1916) – co-writer/director
- The Vagabond (1916) – co-writer/director
- One A.M. (1916) – co-writer/director
- The Count (1916) – co-writer/director
- The Pawnshop (1916) – co-writer/director
- Behind the Screen (1916) – co-writer/director
- The Rink (1916) – co-writer/director
- Easy Street (1917) – co-writer/director
- The Cure (1917) – co-writer/director
- The Immigrant (1917) – co-writer/director
- The Adventurer (1917) – co-writer/director
First National Pictures