''Unknown Chaplin'' is a three-part 1983 British documentary series about the career and methods of the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

luminary

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

, using previously unseen film for illustration. The series consist of three episodes, with title ''My Happiest Years'', ''The Great Director'' and ''Hidden Treasures''. The film was directed and written by film historians

Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...

and David Gill. They were granted access to unseen material from Chaplin's private film archive by his widow Oona O'Neil Chaplin. Episode one of the series was also based on a large cache of pirated outtakes from the Mutual Film Corporation period of Chaplin's career (1916-1917), made available by the film collector Raymond Rohauer. The documentary also includes interviews with Chaplin's second wife Lita Grey, his son Sydney Earl Chaplin, and his surviving co-stars

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's role in Charlie Chaplin's film ''The Kid (1921 film), The Kid'' (1921) made him one o ...

, Dean Riesner, Georgia Hale, and

Virginia Cherrill Virginia Cherrill (April 12, 1908 – November 14, 1996), styled as Virginia, Countess of Jersey between 1937 and 1946, was an American actress best known for her role as the blind flower girl in Charlie Chaplin's ''City Lights'' (1931). Early ...

. The series gives unparalleled insight into Chaplin's working methods and filmmaking techniques. In particular, the Mutual outtakes (which Chaplin ordered destroyed due to content inappropriate for the time) show his painstaking approach to developing comedic and dramatic ideas on film, examined in what director Brownlow described as an "archaeology of the cinema". Also shown for the first time are completed scenes Chaplin cut from his classic feature films '' The Circus'', ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...

'', and '' Modern Times'', and an enigmatic sequence from an abandoned film entitled ''The Professor'' from 1919. The program also includes footage of Georgia Hale as the flower girl in ''City Lights'' during a period when Chaplin had fired Cherrill, and rare home movies of Chaplin, including a remarkable behind-the-scenes private film of him at work on ''

''. The series exhibits various outtakes of Chaplin laughing or getting angry when scenes go awry.

Edna Purviance Olga Edna Purviance (; October 21, 1895 – January 13, 1958) was an American actress of the silent film era. She was the leading lady in many of Charlie Chaplin's early films and in a span of eight years, she appeared in over 30 films with him ...

corpses A cadaver, often known as a corpse, is a dead human body. Cadavers are used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a liv ...

in several clips, and in one she plays a joke on another actress during filming. A compilation of alternate takes illustrates how Chaplin slowly developed the story line of '' The Immigrant''. The film was narrated by

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

, and original music was scored and conducted by Carl Davis, largely based on themes composed by Chaplin himself.

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

distributed the series in the United States in 1986 as part of the series '' American Masters''. In the 2005 DVD release of the series, Brownlow relates some of ''Unknown Chaplins backstory. The series was rereleased on DVD in November 2024. In 2010, Brownlow published a book on the making of the documentary titled ''The Search for Charlie Chaplin''.

External links

* * * * (reel one) * (reel two) {{EmmyAward Informational Series or Special 1983 British television series debuts 1983 British television series endings 1980s British documentary television series Works about Charlie Chaplin Documentary films about film directors and producers ITV documentaries Peabody Award–winning broadcasts American Masters films 1980s British television miniseries Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television British English-language television shows Films directed by Kevin Brownlow