Masters of Cinema: Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin (UK, 1889–1977) was one of the defining figures of early cinema: actor, director, writer, producer and composer. He became internationally famous through the character of the Little Tramp, whose bowler hat, cane and distinctive walk became instantly recognisable. Films such as The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) combined physical comedy with pathos and sharp observations about poverty, industrialisation and social inequality.

Chaplin resisted the arrival of synchronised sound longer than most major filmmakers, believing in the expressive power of visual performance, but later embraced dialogue in works such as The Great Dictator (1940), his celebrated satire of fascism. His career was later overshadowed by political controversy and his departure from the United States, but his influence on screen comedy, performance and filmmaking remains immense.

Last one in stock.