In my
previous article on this blog, I talked about free movies on YouTube that I
feel shouldn’t be forgotten. I think for this next article, I want to focus on
one filmmaker. Many of his movies are fully free on YouTube and he is also one
of the greatest geniuses the art of moviemaking has ever seen. That filmmaker
is Charlie Chaplin. His career spanned 75 years, but he only made 11 movies, if
you don’t count the short films he made. If you do count the short films he
made, then he had made over 80 films. Either way, his films do hold up well
despite being silent pictures and a lot of them are readily available on
YouTube for free. He’s also one of my favorite filmmakers, and is still to this
day, a treasure of the cinema.
The Gold
Rush (1925) – The first full length movie featuring Charlie Chaplin’s favorite
persona, The Little Tramp, the Gold Rush is a silent picture about what him
going to Alaska so he can strike it rich. Based on the actual gold rush of
1896, Chaplin drew on inspiration from actual photos. There are many memorable
scenes in this film which have become part of pop culture even to his day
including Chaplin playing with his diner rolls and him singing in a local
salon. The Gold Rush (1925) |
Charlie Chaplin's Favorite Film
The Circus
(1928) – Another film starring Charlie Chaplin’s favorite persona, The Little
Tramp, this one has a relatively simple set up but is still a great film. The
set up is the Little Tramp, while mistaken for a pickpocket, is chased into a
circus, and by sheer accident, becomes the star of the show. He ends up
becoming a part of the circus, and while he is there, helps the circus people
solve some of their problems. Today this film is most famous for introducing
the song “Smile”, which Chaplin himself sings and wrote. The Circus.
Best Charlie Chaplin Movie
City Lights
(1931) – Once again, we are following the Little Tramp, but this time, the
Tramp will win the girl, which is something we have yet to see in Chaplin’s
films. The set up is simple. The Tramp wants to help the local blind girl who
is selling flowers on the side of the road. He goes through a series of
misadventures like becoming a boxer and constantly running into a drunk
millionaire, who doesn’t know when he’s sober but is his best friend when he’s
drunk. This is considered one of the best romantic comedies ever made by many
film critics and scholars. The ending is considered iconic. Full Movie:
City Lights (1931)
Modern
Times (1936) – This one takes place during the Great Depression. The Little
Tramp is a factory worker in this one, and there are some early examples of
special effects. There’s a famous scene where Chaplin as the factory worker
gets stuck in the machine. Another famous scene is when the little tramp by
mistake picks up a flag, thinking someone dropped it, and ends up leading a
massive labor protest by mistake. This film is an innovative film for its time,
and its story about economic inequality still rings true today. Charlie
Chaplin – Modern Times (1936) Full Movie | English Subtitles
These are
some of just the great movies that are on the web in full of the genius who was
Charlie Chaplin.
