10 Best Charlie Chaplin Movies That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Best Charlie Chaplin Movies

When it comes to 20th-century acting, Charlie Chaplin is a household name. Here is a list of his best work, sorted according to IMDb.

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In the early twentieth century, Charlie Chaplin was one of the greatest and most popular actors of the time. For decades, from the golden age of silent cinema in the 1910s through 1960s New Hollywood, Chaplin’s career spanned both the United States and the world. His films, whether short and long, have endured. They’re witty, adorable, and a joy to watch.

More than 70 of Chaplin’s 89 acting credits have been in short films; this is a significant portion of his career. Many of his best works, on the other hand, were the full features he produced later in his career. ” The quality of Chaplin’s work never faltered, despite public turbulence, exile from the United States, and personal tragedy. According to IMDb, these are his ten best films.

1. A King in New York (1957) – 7.1

A King in New York (1957)

Finally, one of Chaplin’s most memorable roles. A King in New York, a comedy on the Red Scare that engulfed the United States in the 1950s, was written, directed, scored, and starred by him. Upon arriving in the United States, Chaplin plays an overthrown monarch who is practically penniless.

After starring in a few commercials, he meets a young Communist played by Chaplin’s son, Michael, and becomes a household name. After the House Un-American Activities Committee summons the monarch, he hoses them down with a fire hose.

2. The Pilgrim (1923) – 7.4

Chaplin’s life and career came to an end with the release of The Pilgrim. For the First National Film Company and Edna Purviance, this was the final film he did together. Over the course of eight years, Purviance appeared in 30 films with Chaplin. To avoid capture, Chaplin plays the title role, an escaped convict who goes by the name “Preacher” in order to fool the authorities. Purviance portrays a Pilgrim’s roommate. An ex-convict of the Pilgrim goes to a casino to recover a stolen mortgage payment.

In the United States, the film entered the public domain in 2019.

3. Monsieur Verdoux (1947) – 7.9

Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Chaplin’s star had waned by the time Monsieur Verdoux was released in 1947. As a result of his efforts to improve ties between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II, the FBI opened an investigation into the actor, and the picture was boycotted by a number of organisations. Chaplin’s move to Verdouxis a radical one.

Anti-war sentiment was made more clear in this picture as a result of its absence of a Tramp-like character. It didn’t do well in the United States, but it was a huge success in other countries.

4. Limelight (1952) – 8.1

A semi-autobiographical narrative of a washed-up entertainer in World War I-era London, Chaplin’s follow-up to Monsieur Verdoux was

Chaplin was banned from the United States while promoting Limelight, the last picture he filmed in the nation.

After the film’s wide release in the United States, Chaplin would not return to the country for 20 years. He received a 12-minute standing ovation at the Oscars for his contribution in the Best Original Score category.

5. The Circus (1928) – 8.2

The Circus (1928)

One of Chaplin’s best comedies, The Circus, came during a run at United Artists that spans half this list. It was, on the other hand, his most problematic effort to yet. A divorce from his second wife and an IRS probe were all personal traumas that Chaplin had to deal with while filming The Great Dictator.

Chaplin’s Tramp becomes the inadvertent star of a circus roadshow after eight months of stuttering production. It became one of the most successful silent pictures of all time.

6. The Gold Rush (1925) – 8.2

“The Gold Rush” is the film that Charlie Chaplin wanted to be known for. Chaplin’s Tramp is a gold prospector in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, and the 1925 classic wonderfully combines tragedy and comedy. When the Tramp and two other prospectors are stranded in a cabin together, he makes friends with one of them.

There are many classic moments in the film, like the Tramp boiling and eating his own shoe, as well as the dance of the rolls.

7. The Kid (1921) – 8.3

The Kid (1921)

Full-length directing debut for Chaplin was The Kid. A young Jackie Coogan (who would later portray Uncle Fester on The Addams Family) is cast as the Child in the film, which stars Chaplin as the Tramp. Upon discovering the Child as a newborn, the Tramp names him John. Years later, when the boy’s mother becomes a well-known actress, she tries to locate her son, whom she had abandoned many years earlier.

In an effort to keep the boy, the Tramp tries to keep the two of them together. The Child’s mother welcomes both the Tramp and the Child at the end.

8. The Great Dictator (1940) – 8.4

As far as Hollywood anti-Nazi films go, The Great Dictator is one of the most well-known. Fascist dictator of imaginary Tomania and a Jewish hairdresser who is mistaken for the dictator were both played by Chaplin in the film. Last speech: Chaplin’s barber makes an impassioned call for world peace in the film’s final scene.

Also, the film was Chaplin’s very first sound film. Among the five Oscar nominations it received were for Picture, Actor, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (Jack Oakie).

9. City Lights (1931) – 8.5

City Lights (1931)

As early as 1918, Chaplin contemplated creating a sound film, but when the industry began transitioning to talkies in the late 1920s, he decided against it. Synchronized music and sound effects, as well as conversation intertitles, are found in City Lights.

A blind girl falls in love with Chaplin’s Tramp, who also becomes pals with an alcoholic. As he tries to get back together with the girl, the Tramp takes on a variety of occupations and participates in a boxing bout.

10. Modern Times (1936) – 8.5

When Chaplin appeared as the Tramp in Modern Times, he was making the point that the Great Depression was caused by industrialization. The Tramp appears in the film as a manufacturing worker who has a nervous breakdown and is fired.

After he is released from prison, the Tramp encounters a number of desperate people. His attempts to evade re-arrest are repeatedly foiled.