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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 875

The Champion

191533 minUnited States

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 30:47
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Charlie Chaplin · Public domain

Synopsis

A man looking for money accepts work as a boxing sparring partner and secretly weights his glove with a horseshoe. The unexpected victory persuades a trainer that he has discovered a promising fighter. Preparing for a larger contest brings romantic interest, a gambler's offer and the problem of sustaining a sporting reputation built on an improvised advantage.

Cast

Charles Chaplin

Edna Purviance

Ernest Van Pelt

Robert Shields

Lloyd Bacon

Leo White

DirectorsCharles Chaplin

Behind the scenes

The Essanay comedy was filmed around Niles, California. Chaplin turns the movement of a boxing match into choreography, with his character's resourcefulness continually testing the boundary between athletic skill and cheating.

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)
Lloyd Bacon — Unknown author Unknown author; J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs · Public domain
Leo White — Witzel; Photoplay Magazine March, 1917; pg. 24 https://archive.org/stream/photoplayvolume11112chic#page/378/mode/2up · Public domain

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