Charlie Chaplin filmmaking methods, claiming such a thing would be tantamount to a magician spoiling his own illusion. Little was known about his working process throughout his lifetime, but research from film historians – particularly the findings of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill that were presented in the three-part documentary "Unknown Chaplin" (1983) – has since revealed his unique working method. Until he began making spoken dialogue films with "The Great Dictator", Chaplin never shot from a completed script. Many of his early films began with only a vague premise – for example "Charlie enters a health spa" or "Charlie works in
Charlie Chaplin filmography re-issued with soundtracks. "City Lights" (1931) and "Modern Times" (1936) were essentially silent films, although they were made with soundtracks consisting of music and sound effects, with talking sequences in the latter film. Chaplin's last five films were all talking pictures. Aside from "A Countess From Hong Kong", all of Chaplin's films were photographed in 35mm black-and-white. Except where otherwise referenced, the release dates, character names, and annotations presented here are derived from Chaplin's autobiography, Robinson's book, and "The Films of Charlie Chaplin" (1965) by Gerald D. McDonald, Michael Conway, and Mark Ricci. Chaplin appeared in 36 films for Keystone