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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 913

The Bond

191811 minUnited States

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 10:12
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Charlie Chaplin · Public domain

Synopsis

A series of comic sketches illustrates different kinds of bonds, from friendship and marriage to the financial support of a country at war. Familiar Chaplin gestures lead toward an explicit appeal to buy Liberty Bonds. The final confrontation turns the fundraising message into a physical attack on a caricature of the German emperor.

Cast

Charles Chaplin

Edna Purviance

Albert Austin

Syd Chaplin

DirectorsCharles Chaplin

Historical context

Chaplin financed the short to support American wartime bond sales. Its plain dark setting and isolated props create a visual format different from the populated streets and interiors of his usual comedies.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Charles Chaplin — Strauss-Peyton Studio, 1921; published in Photoplay no. 3 (1922); National Portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons. · Public domain in the United States (PD-US-expired)
Edna Purviance — Unknown photographer, 1923; J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, University of Washington Libraries, SAYRE 8372 / Wikimedia Commons. · Public domain in the United States (PD-US-expired)
Albert Austin — Nestor Film Studio (1915) Hal Roach Film Studio (1923) United Artists (1920); A Private Collection · Public domain
Syd Chaplin — Unknown author · Public domain

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