Chaplin 135

Presenting: my Film History final paper

This week marked the 135th birthday of, in my mind, the greatest artist cinema ever produced!

I reserve this honor for Charlie Chaplin in the same way that a lot of historians claim George Washington is the best American president. Because the territory of their positions was so new and they had to blaze so many trails for themselves, these pioneers command an even greater respect and admiration.

Over a decade ago, I took a course on Film History (pre-1945) and fell in love with Chaplin’s work — not only the endlessly inventive humor but also what it meant in the larger cultural and political context of its time. I twisted my professor’s arm a bit so I could color outside the lines and make my final research paper about films we didn’t study in class. The result, taken out of some academic jargon and revisited with a little bit of perspective as well as a new ending, is below.

I hope it gives you a new way to understand some of the greatest movies ever made … and perhaps watch them for the first time. City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator are all available on Max and The Criterion Channel.