Chaplin the Artist

Here's a true classic bit of film: the first appearance of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp character from 1914. Like a lot of early films, it has a documentary feel, partly because it was shot at a live event with Chaplin and crew cavorting amongst the real folks. What I find interesting is how Chaplin breaks the fourth wall-- something more closely associated with a postmodern approach. What this suggests is a conscious artistic commentary on other films of this type (that is, documentaries) at a time when just about everyone else was still figuring out the basics of the film-making craft. That's a pretty early indication of the genius that would be so abundantly clear within just a few years after this particular film came out. Oh, and it's pretty funny too: