BFI National Library

Charlie Chaplin Display

From 19 July - 1 August 2005, Reading Room

To celebrate The Charles Chaplin Conference, on 21 - 24 July 2005, the bfi National Library is proud to present a display that showcases the life and works of Charlie Chaplin.

The display contains a sample of books from the our extensive Chaplin collection, as well as colourful images and stills. We have also provided a glimpse of some of the Chaplin related ephemera from our Special Collections, including letters written by Chaplin himself.

Charlie Chaplin - why the bfi?

Charles Chaplin (1889 - 1977) was British, a Londoner. Half of his career (nearly 20 years) was spent on the British stage. He was a superb physical comedian, very competent musician and a well paid bankable star before he gave it all up to work in film. There he changed the face of Cinema and inspired a craze probably unrivalled even by Harry Potter. He and his image were adopted by the humblest Southwark or Lambeth cinema-goer to the highest intellectuals of the age.

The study of cinema has for too long work in isolation from its fellow disciplines in the visual, literary or performance arts. Chaplin is a perfect opportunity to revitalise the study of Chaplin in the country of his birth. The bfi's Chaplin-in-context Project will take account of these influences on Chaplin's moving image works and bring to the nation newly accessible collections of books, manuscripts, images, designs and films for study and enjoyment through its new website chaplin.bfi.org.uk launching in October 2005.

Bryony Dixon

Read about Charlie as a Searchlight by Michael Hammond

Chaplin - A Reading List (PDF, 348kb)

(Stills courtesy of bfi Stills, Posters and Designs)

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