Directed by Charlie Chaplin
18 Episodes
One of film’s greatest geniuses both in front of and behind the camera, Charlie Chaplin was, for a time, the most popular entertainer in the world. From his early slapstick shorts, Chaplin pushed the envelope in developing the art of screen comedy, perfecting it in features like THE KID and THE GOLD RUSH, in which he mined his Little Tramp persona for pathos as well as laughs. Even into the sound era, Chaplin continued to refine the art of the gag along with his masterful storytelling touch in classics like CITY LIGHTS and MODERN TIMES. Though his popularity faded later in his career, the controversial MONSIEUR VERDOUX and the valedictory LIMELIGHT now shine as brilliant late works from a filmmaker who never lost an ounce of his artistic daring.
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34:19Episode 1
A Dog’s Life
Episode 1
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1918 • United States
Charlie Chaplin’s first film for First National Films, A DOG’S LIFE revolves around Chaplin’s iconic Tramp character as he navigates the cityscape with ‘Scraps’ the dog. The two go on a journey to help the Tramp have a better life with Edna, a d...
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38:09Episode 2
Shoulder Arms
Episode 2
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1918 • United States
From the depths of a trench in war-torn France, Chaplin supplies a little levity to a stark situation as an American soldier dreams of one day becoming a WWI hero. A man can dream can't he?
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18:33Episode 3
A Day’s Pleasure
Episode 3
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1919 • United States
Charlie Chaplin stars in this comedy short about a middle class family man who encounters one difficulty after another while attempting to make a simple excursion by car and boat with his wife and kids.
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32:44Episode 5
The Idle Class
Episode 5
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1921 • United States
Idle hands are the devil's workshop; unemployed hands lead to pure mischief. Charlie Chaplin's iconic Tramp takes a "vacation" at a golf resort where he is mistaken for one of the members. The Tramp hopes to merely play through, but landing in t...
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The Kid
Episode 6
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1921 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Carl Miller, Jack CooganCharlie Chaplin was already an international star when he decided to break out of the short-film format and make his first full-length feature. THE KID doesn't merely show Chaplin at a turning p...
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Pay Day
Episode 7
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1922 • United States
Chaplin plays a productive bricklayer who lives by the adage, "Work hard, play hard." With a stack of money burning a hole in his pocket, he bickers with his wife on the best way to allocate the payday funds.
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41:43Episode 8
The Pilgrim
Episode 8
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1923 • United States
A prison escapee trades his state issued attire for that of a pastor, not realizing the holy calling that comes with the garb. The pilgrimage takes him to a Texas border town where he seeks redemption while on the run.
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1:21:40Episode 9
A Woman of Paris
Episode 9
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1923 • United States
Charles Chaplin made his debut as a director/producer at United Artists with A WOMAN OF PARIS which, as a serious drama, was a major departure from his previous output. He proved that he was just as adept here as he was with comedy, however, pre...
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1:28:57Episode 10
THE GOLD RUSH: 1925 Version
Episode 10
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1925 • United States
Charlie Chaplin’s comedic masterwork—which charts a prospector’s search for fortune in the Klondike and his discovery of romance (with the beautiful Georgia Hale)—forever cemented the iconic status of Chaplin and his Little Tramp character. Sh...
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1:12:46Episode 11
The Circus
Episode 11
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1928 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Allan Garcia, Merna KennedyIn the last film he made during the silent era, Charlie Chaplin revels in the art of the circus, paying tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls. After bei...
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1:26:45Episode 12
City Lights
Episode 12
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1931 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry MyersCITY LIGHTS, the most cherished film by Charlie Chaplin, is also his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle. The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dra...
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1:27:16Episode 13
Modern Times
Episode 13
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1936 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry BergmanMODERN TIMES, Charlie Chaplin’s last outing as the Little Tramp, puts the iconic character to work as a giddily inept factory employee who becomes smitten with a gorgeous gamine (Paulette...
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2:05:33Episode 14
The Great Dictator
Episode 14
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1940 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Jack Oakie, Paulette GoddardIn his controversial masterpiece THE GREAT DICTATOR, Charlie Chaplin offers both a cutting caricature of Adolf Hitler and a sly tweaking of his own comic persona. Chaplin, in his first pure ...
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1:12:20Episode 15
THE GOLD RUSH: 1942 Version
Episode 15
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1942 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack SwainCharlie Chaplin’s comedic masterwork—which charts a prospector’s search for fortune in the Klondike and his discovery of romance (with the beautiful Georgia Hale)—forever cemented the iconic sta...
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2:04:21Episode 16
Monsieur Verdoux
Episode 16
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1947 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Mady CorrellCharlie Chaplin plays shockingly against type in his most controversial film, a brilliant and bleak black comedy about money, marriage, and murder. Chaplin is a twentieth-century bluebeard, an enigmatic fam...
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Limelight
Episode 17
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1952 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Claire BloomCharlie Chaplin’s masterful drama about the twilight of a former vaudeville star is among the writer-director’s most touching films. Chaplin plays Calvero, a once beloved musical-comedy performer, now a was...
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1:44:46Episode 18
A King in New York
Episode 18
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1957 • United Kingdom
When the deposed European King Shadov (Charlie Chaplin) arrives in New York as a new exile, he realizes he must earn a living and accidentally discovers that television commercials afford him the opportunity to do just that. But he also discove...