The Bond *** (1918, Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Albert Austin, Sydney Chaplin) – Classic Movie Review 12,149

Charles Chaplin and Claire Bloom in Limelight (1952).

Charlie Chaplin’s 1918 short film The Bond is a piece of history. It illustrates various bonds like friendship and marriage, but especially The Liberty Bond to K O the Kaiser, which Chaplin does literally. 

Though it runs just 11 minutes, Charlie Chaplin’s 1918 film The Bond is a piece of history.

Charlie Chaplin made the 1918 propaganda comedy short film The Bond at his own expense for the Liberty Loan Committee for theatrical release to help sell US Liberty Bonds in World War One. The Bond is a series of sketches humorously illustrating various bonds like the bonds of friendship and marriage, and most importantly the Liberty Bond to K O the Kaiser (Sydney Chaplin), which Charlie does literally.

Charlie meets Uncle Sam and a labourer representing industry. Charlie buys a liberty bond and the labourer supplies a rifle for an American soldier.

It is shot in a plain black set with starkly lit simple props.

There was also a British version with Uncle Sam replaced by John Bull and promotes War Bonds.

The cast are  Charles Chaplin as Charlie, Sydney Chaplin as The Kaiser, Joan Marsh as Cupid, Edna Purviance as Charlie’s Wife/ Liberty, Albert Austin as Friend, Tom Wilson as Industry, and Henry Bergman as John Bull (British version).

The Bond is available for free download at the Internet Archive.

A Dog’s Life (1918) is the first of Chaplin’s nine films for First National, followed by The Bond (1918), Shoulder Arms (1918), Sunnyside (1919), A Day’s Pleasure (1919), The Kid (1921), The Idle Class (1921), Pay Day (1922), and The Pilgrim (1923).

War bonds are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations etc in war time.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,149

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