The Bond (1918 film)
The Bond (1918 film)
The Bond is a short American silent propaganda film from 1918 written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. It runs about 11 minutes (two reels) and was made to help sell U.S. Liberty Bonds during World War I. The film stars Charlie Chaplin with Edna Purviance, Albert Austin, and Sydney Chaplin. It was produced by Charles Chaplin Productions for the Liberty Loan Committee and released by First National Pictures.
The look is simple and bold: a plain black set with bright lighting and few props. The story is a series of humorous sketches about different kinds of bonds—friendship, marriage, and especially the Liberty Bond—designed to show how buying bonds helps defeat the Kaiser. In the scenes, Charlie meets Uncle Sam and a worker representing industry. He buys a Liberty Bond, the worker provides a rifle to a soldier, and Charlie, impressed by the result, reveals more money to buy another bond, arming a naval sailor as well.
There was a British version that replaced Uncle Sam with John Bull and promoted War Bonds instead. Later releases include Lobster Films (France, 2002) and Warner Home Video (USA, 2004).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:37 (CET).