This obvious PSA for Liberty Bonds was the last film presented on disc one of the "American Slapstick" DVD collection. Written, directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin, we go through the bonds of friendship, love, marriage, and the Liberty kind. The funniest segment was the "Love" part with The Tramp going through a courtship with his longtime leading lady Edna Purviance. Lots of stuff involving a fake moon, his cane, Cupid, and some wrapping paper contributes to the entertainment factor in that one. In the Liberty segment, Chaplin's brother Syd portrays the Kaiser who gets bopped by Charlie. Worth a look for anyone interested in all kinds of film miscellany.
9 Reviews
a tough to rate curio
planktonrules3 May 2006
Technically, this is an exceptionally well-made Chaplin film--with great special effects and makeup. However, it really isn't a Chaplin short but a short advertisement for the theaters in order to sell Liberty Bonds for WWI. As an advertising and propaganda piece, it achieves it goals very well and was fun to watch but how can you really rate something like this on IMDb? You can't really stack this up against any of Chaplin's other shorts and it must be seen as a unique curio.
FYI--this is an included DVD extra from Warner Brother's Chaplin Collection. This is an exceptional set covering nearly all his full-length films and his later (and in my opinion, better-made) shorts. A great set for fans of silent comedy or an exceptional way to learn more about this comic genius.
FYI--this is an included DVD extra from Warner Brother's Chaplin Collection. This is an exceptional set covering nearly all his full-length films and his later (and in my opinion, better-made) shorts. A great set for fans of silent comedy or an exceptional way to learn more about this comic genius.
Chaplin In Propaganda Piece!
CitizenCaine15 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Chaplin created this fluffy (at least for him) piece of propaganda for the war bonds effort at the tale end of World War One. He presents the several types of bonds in comic skits: Friendship, romantic, and marriage. After that, Chaplin turns to Miss Liberty played by Edna Purviance who does a skit with the kaiser played by by Sydney Chaplin. Chaplin closes the proceedings bopping the Kaiser with an over-sized mallet that says "buy liberty bonds". An interesting, historic curio for Chaplin because he would not enlist during the war. And why should he have when he could still continue to create films like this, aiding in the war effort, while entertaining millions of Americans with his regular films? ** of 4 stars.
The Bond review
JoeytheBrit20 April 2020
A little known gem
pearseha17 March 2005
A fantastic reason why not to believe Cinema Expressionism was confined solely to Germany! Compare this work to Caligari, and see for yourself. The settings and makeup not only use the black and white scheme to its fullest, but the far out set designs make this a wonderfully abstract short. This little film explodes the myth that Chaplin was not a "filmic" director, as the whole thing depends entirely on artifice. A great way to explore Chaplin as an artist, not just as a movie maker or comic. The Bond may have been made to avert the scandal caused by Chaplin's failure to enlist in the army (his first real hint of bad press, nastily foreshadowing his later troubles), but it is a sign of Chaplin's abilities that he managed to make this short so much more than propaganda. Further, his brother Sidney makes a startling Kaisar!
From the Works of a Comic Genius
eibon099 April 2001
The Bond(1918) is an extremely funny short film that was done to support the war effort. The film is made up of a few skits about the many kinds of bonds. The most important bond that the title refers to are the Liberty Bonds. Charles Chaplin shows in The Bond(1918) why he was one of the biggest stars in the early part of the Twentifth Century. The Bond(1918) is to World War 1 what The Great Dictator(1941) was to World War 2.
Propaganda film by Chaplin in World War I
guisreis12 March 2024
I never knew that Chaplin made at his own expense a propaganda film for helping the Liberty Loan Committee for selling bonds in the World War I, against the German Empire. After three sketches about the bonds of friendship, love and marriage (among which I only liked the second one, particularly the gags with the moon and the cupid), the tramp meets both Uncle Sam and German Emperor Wilhelm II in a fourth and last segment. The two-reel film is aesthetically different (quite simple black set) from other short films by Chaplin, and also much less funny than almost all of them. It works, however, as a historical curiousity.
Bonds of liberty
TheLittleSongbird19 June 2018
Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors.
From his period after Mutual, 'The Bond' is among the lesser ones for me of his early output, though it is interesting as a historical and curiosity piece. As said with many of his post-Keystone efforts, it shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career. The Essanay and Mutual periods were something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. After Mutual the style had properly settled and the cinematic genius emerged. Something that has been illustrated much better than in 'The Bond'.
The story is slight and slightly too simple and is also at times too busy and manic. It also feels on the short side and Chaplin's style is not as distinctive as in a lot of his other work.
What makes 'The Bond' a historical and curiosity piece is the advertising and propaganda element. It's intriguing certainly, if rather heavy-handed.
On the other hand, 'The Bond' looks good, not amazing (though the opening shot for early Chaplin is remarkable) but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work and not churning out countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.
'The Bond' is successful generally in its content. It has some very funny moments, although it doesn't always feel Chaplin-esque and the charm doesn't get over-sentimental. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight.
Chaplin directs more than competently. He also, as usual, gives a playful and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality and substance of the role.
Overall, interesting but mainly a curio. 6/10 Bethany Cox
From his period after Mutual, 'The Bond' is among the lesser ones for me of his early output, though it is interesting as a historical and curiosity piece. As said with many of his post-Keystone efforts, it shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career. The Essanay and Mutual periods were something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. After Mutual the style had properly settled and the cinematic genius emerged. Something that has been illustrated much better than in 'The Bond'.
The story is slight and slightly too simple and is also at times too busy and manic. It also feels on the short side and Chaplin's style is not as distinctive as in a lot of his other work.
What makes 'The Bond' a historical and curiosity piece is the advertising and propaganda element. It's intriguing certainly, if rather heavy-handed.
On the other hand, 'The Bond' looks good, not amazing (though the opening shot for early Chaplin is remarkable) but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work and not churning out countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.
'The Bond' is successful generally in its content. It has some very funny moments, although it doesn't always feel Chaplin-esque and the charm doesn't get over-sentimental. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight.
Chaplin directs more than competently. He also, as usual, gives a playful and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality and substance of the role.
Overall, interesting but mainly a curio. 6/10 Bethany Cox
A Public Service Announcement
caspian197810 October 2004
One of Charlie Chaplin's earlier film shorts, it is funny, but more of a public service announcement than a comedy short. Although it is funny from time to time, the main point of this short is not to make the audience laugh but to get the audience to leave the cinema and to purchase war bonds! During the first World War, Chaplin was one of a handful of celebrities that backed the war effort to sell liberty bonds for American soldiers. Since Chaplin was not going to put on a soldier's uniform and fire a gun for the war, he would raise thousands upon thousands of dollars for the war effort. This is evidence that Chaplin was pro-America. Even though he did not want to be drafted and fight on the western front, he did do his part and raise a lot of money for the country he loved.
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