Visual Comedy in 8 films
Before sound, and sometimes after it, comedy was told with the body and the camera. From dangerous stunts to quiet visual jokes, these films show how much a laugh can say without words.
- 1The Kid 1921Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.2Chaplin's tramp finds an abandoned baby and raises him. The film mixes slapstick and real tears for the first time.
Next: Safety Last!
Chaplin's tears give way to a rival's thrills, as Lloyd turns comedy into a daring climb. - 2Safety Last! 1923Harold Lloyd · IMDb 8.1Harold Lloyd hangs from the hands of a clock high above a city street. The shot has been copied for a hundred years.
Next: Sherlock Jr.
Keaton pushes the stunt further, adding camera tricks and a dream that plays with cinema itself. - 3Sherlock Jr. 1924Buster Keaton · IMDb 8.1A film projectionist dreams himself into the movie on screen. Keaton's stunts and trick shots still look amazing.
Next: The General
Keaton again, on a larger canvas, with real trains, a war and a chase that never lets up. - 4The General 1926Buster Keaton · IMDb 8.1Keaton chases a stolen train across the American Civil War. It is the most perfect mix of action and comedy in silent film.
Next: The Gold Rush
Time for the other great clown, who turns the simplest objects into ballet and hunger into comedy. - 5The Gold Rush 1925Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.1Chaplin boils and eats his shoe, and dances with bread rolls. Two of the best-loved scenes in comedy.
Next: City Lights
The same clown grows softer here, letting romance and a gentle heart take centre stage. - 6City Lights 1931Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.5A tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl. The last shot is often named the most moving ending in film.
Next: Modern Times
Chaplin turns from one heart to the whole system, aiming his tramp at the machinery of modern work. - 7Modern Times 1936Charlie Chaplin · IMDb 8.5Chaplin against the machine: the factory, the assembly line, the feeding machine. A comedy about work that is still true.
Next: Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
Years later, Tati carries the tradition into France, using sound as one more instrument of the gag. - 8Monsieur Hulot's Holiday 1953Jacques Tati · IMDb 7.3Tati's clumsy Hulot spends a summer at a seaside hotel. Almost no dialogue, just gags built from sound and movement.
