Monthlong Chaplin retrospective comes to Wex

“His name is enshrined among the greatest geniuses of film.”—Roger Ebert

The Kid (1921), image courtesy of Janus Films

The Little Tramp and other Chaplin characters hit the big screen at the Wex this May 5-26 in the film series Retrospective: Charlie Chaplin. This 17-film retrospective gives filmgoers the opportunity to experience Chaplin’s timeless artistry on the big screen in gorgeous new 35mm prints.

Chaplin’s singular blend of slapstick, pathos, and social satire made him one of the greatest artists the cinema has ever produced. His iconic Little Tramp, perhaps the most recognizable character in film’s history, has delighted generations of moviegoers in every corner of the world since he first appeared on screen in 1914.

The retrospective features a rare opportunity to see Chaplin’s lesser known works, including A King in New York (1957) and shorts such as A Dog's Life (1918) and Shoulder Arms (1918) along with Chaplin's best-known and most-loved classics including City Lights (1931), The Gold Rush (1925), and Modern Times (1936).

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, at 2 PM families can see a double feature of The Kid and The Gold Rush. Both films are sure to delight kids of all ages and their parents.

Schedule of Events

TRIPLE BILL
Thursday, May 5
7 PM: A Dog’s Life (1918, 33 mins.) and Shoulder Arms (1918, 37 mins.)
8:15 PM: The Great Dictator (1940, 124 mins.)

Two Chaplin short films that take on WWI, A Dog’s Life and Shoulder Arms, accompany Chaplin’s first fully talking picture and the first major film to strongly satirize Hitler and the Nazis, The Great Dictator.

TRIPLE BILL
Friday, May 6
7 PM: Sunnyside (1919, 30 mins.), A Day’s Pleasure (1919, 19 mins.), and A Woman of Paris (1923, 82 mins.)

In Sunnyside, Chaplin plays a handyman out to win the hand of frequent costar Edna Purviance, while A Day’s Pleasure follows the mishaps that befall husband Chaplin, wife Purviance, and child Jackie Coogan while on a family outing. A Woman in Paris, in which Chaplin appears only in a cameo, stars Purviance as a woman who must choose between true love and the well-appointed life as a wealthy man’s mistress.

DOUBLE BILL
Saturday, May 7
7 PM: Pay Day (1922, 22 mins.) and Limelight (1952, 137 mins.)

In Pay Day, his last two-reeler, Charlie plays a bricklayer who plans on spending his paycheck at the saloon, only to be foiled by his wife. Set in London on the eve of WWI, Limelight is Chaplin’s vivid evocation of the lower-class music halls in which his career as a comedian began. The can’t-miss climactic scene features an appearance by Chaplin’s contemporary, Buster Keaton.

DOUBLE BILL
Sunday, May 8
2 PM: The Kid (1921, 54 mins.)
3:05 PM: The Gold Rush (1925/42, 72 mins.)

In two classics sure to please all ages, The Kid sees Chaplin’s The Little Tramp trying to raise a young street urchin, while The Gold Rush features the Tramp as a hapless prospector in turn-of-the-century Alaska.

DOUBLE BILL
Thursday, May 12
7 PM: A King in New York (1958, 110 mins.)
9 PM: The Circus (1928, 72 mins.)

A King in New York, a scathing portrait of American culture, was shot in the UK after Chaplin was barred from reentering the U.S. but not released in the U.S. until the 1970s. A hit at this year’s Zoom Family Film Festival, The Circus follows the Tramp as he becomes a big top star after his dash from the law is mistaken for a hilarious routine.

DOUBLE BILL
Thursday, May 19
7 PM: City Lights (1931, 87 mins.)
8:40 PM: Modern Times (1936, 87 mins.)

In City Lights, the Tramp bounces around odd jobs all to win the heart of a blind flower peddler and enjoys the good graces of a millionaire, but only when the tycoon is drunk. Modern Times features the last appearance of Chaplin’s Tramp. In it, the Tramp finds himself caught in the gears of modern automation, both figuratively and, famously, literally.

TRIPLE BILL
Thursday, May 26
7 PM: The Idle Class (1921, 32 mins.) and The Pilgrim (1923, 41 mins.)
8:20 PM: Monsieur Verdoux (1947, 124 mins.)

Two shorts films, The Idle Class and The Pilgrim, accompany Monsieur Verdoux, a wonderful blend of dark comedy and Hitchcockian suspense. The film stars Chaplin as an unemployed banker who decides to systematically knock off rich widows for their fortunes.

This screening is being held in conjunction with Cinevent 43, Columbus’s long-running annual gathering of cinephiles and collectors on May 27–30 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in downtown Columbus. Visit cinevent.com for more information.

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Season and event support

Lead support for the Wexner Center’s 2010–11 film/video season is generously provided by Nationwide Insurance.

Significant contributions for the Wexner Center’s 2010–11 film/video season are made by the Rohauer Collection Foundation.

All film/video programs and events also receive support from the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members, as well as from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.

The preferred airline of the film/video program is American Airlines/American Eagle.