Charles Chaplin is perhaps the most popular and renowned figure of the silent film era. Even those who aren't familiar with his name or work likely know his character of the Little Tramp.
Chaplin starred in, wrote, and directed some of the funniest and most entertaining movies of the 20th century, such as City Lights and Modern Times. However, as is the case with any director, not all of his films are on the same level, and anyone who has seen some of them will have a way of ranking them.
12) A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
Chaplin's last film and the only genuinely bad one he directed, A Countess from Hong Kong finds an American diplomat played by Marlon Brando in a predicament after an immigrant stowaway played by Sophia Loren refuses to leave his boat.
The movie has no tension, no romance, and no laughs. The silly premise stretches itself to two hours with uneventful scene after uneventful scene, and though Loren tries her best, Brando and the supporting cast look bored out of their minds.
11) A King in New York (1957)
This was the first movie that Chaplin made in the UK during his exile from America. It's a satirical critique of Cold War era America through the eyes of a dethroned European king who goes to New York in search of refuge.
A King in New York is clearly the messy and disjointed work of a tired artist who just wanted to make another movie but had lost most of his spark. It has some interesting ideas and funny moments, but Chaplin failed to bring all of that together to form a cohesive whole.
10) The Pilgrim (1923)
In this 47-minute-long comedy, an escaped convict is mistaken for a pastor in a small town and uses that to his advantage. The whole thing feels like a good idea for a much shorter film which was poorly stretched out.
The movie has enough funny set pieces to make it worthwhile, especially for those who greatly enjoy Chaplin's work, but it brings nothing new or particularly interesting to the table.
9) A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923)
This movie begins with a disclaimer where Chaplin warns the audience that he isn't in the movie and that it isn't a comedy. Instead, it's a drama about a woman (played by common Chaplin collaborator Edna Purviance) torn between her magnate husband and her estranged lover.
Though it's not without its fair share of humor, the movie certainly feels unlike anything else the director ever made. It's poorly paced and the drama doesn't work very well, but it's still a worthwhile experience if only for its uniqueness among Chaplin's body of work.
8) The Great Dictator (1940)
Chaplin's first venture into talkies is an anti-fascist farce about a humble Jewish barber who shares a great resemblance to the dictator of Tomania, a tyrant who blames Jews for the dire situation of the country.
Though it's poorly paced and very messy, The Great Dictator is also very funny and deeply heartfelt. In it, Chaplin warned the world against the true dangers of Hitler and Mussolini, which we now know he was shockingly right about, making this no less than a prophetic film.
7) Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
One of Chaplin's most unique works, Monsieur Verdoux is a dark comedy about a Parisian family man who, in order to sustain his wife and son, devices a plan to marry rich widows and then murder them to keep their fortune.
Despite an overwhelming lack of focus and a terrible ending, Monsieur Verdoux is quirky, captivating, and hilarious. The standout, though, is Chaplin's charming performance as a charismatic yet cynical and nihilistic serial killer that's oddly hard not to care about.
6) The Circus (1928)
The Circus is one of the director's simplest and most straightforward movies, about a man who finds an unexpected job—and love—at a circus.
The movie doesn't have much of a plot, but its energetic slapstick more than makes up for that. It's thoroughly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, and its sincere attempts at pathos manage to make it feel more heartfelt and satisfying.
5) Modern Times (1936)
This classic comedy about a man and a woman facing modernity in the streets of an industrial society serves as a beautiful farewell to both silent cinema and the Tramp, one of cinema's most iconic characters.
The film is very ambitious and sometimes extends itself farther than it can reach, but if anything, that only makes it more endearing. Its story is rich and complex, its visuals are perhaps the best of any Chaplin film, and its humor is as funny as you'd expect.
4) The Gold Rush (1925)
The Gold Rush, one of the director's most popular movies, is the story of a gold prospector who travels to the Klondike in search of fortune, though he ends up finding much more than that.
The film's story isn't particularly sturdy, but the laughs it provides are some of the biggest of any Chaplin film. This movie contains some of the funniest and most iconic set pieces in silent cinema history, such as the beautiful dinner roll dance scene or the exciting rocking house sequence.
3) City Lights (1931)
It wasn't until City Lights, Chaplin's sixth feature film, that he truly showed he was as good a storyteller as he was a comedian. This beautiful classic follows the Tramp, who has fallen in love with a blind florist, trying to gather money to get her medical help.
The film is both an endearing romantic drama and a hysterical slapstick comedy. By the time you read "THE END", you're equally likely to have cried and laughed like crazy.
2) Limelight (1952)
Although it may not be the last movie Chaplin ever made, Limelight clearly serves as the farewell to the artist and his career. It's about decaying comedian Calvero (played by Chaplin in what might be his best performance) and a suicidal ballerina, who hold on to each other to find meaning and hope in their lives.
If it sounds like the director's darkest and most mature work, that's because it is. It's a powerful exploration of themes like aging, relationships, love, and optimism in the face of adversity. It's funny, it's touching, it's thought-provoking, and it's an absolute must-see.
1) 'The Kid' (1921)
A filmmaker's debut is rarely their best movie, but Chaplin is part of the exception to the rule. The Kid is about the Tramp raising a child as his own after he is abandoned by his mother as a baby.
Poignant and sweet, this is one of those movies that everyone must see at least once in their lives. The story is simple yet incredibly moving, the characters are really fun to follow, the slapstick is hilarious, and the small dramatic elements that Chaplin throws into the mix work perfectly. Even after more than 100 years, The Kid remains one of the funniest and sweetest movies ever made.