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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 852

The Masquerader

Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
12:03
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Charlie Chaplin · Public domain

Synopsis

An actor's disruptive behavior gets him thrown out of the studio. He returns disguised as an elegant woman, wins the director's attention and obtains the access previously denied to him. The successful impersonation creates a new problem when he resumes his old appearance inside the dressing room and the studio discovers how completely it has been deceived.

Cast

Behind the scenes

Chaplin uses the workplace of filmmaking as the setting for a performance about performance. Changing costume alters the director's judgment before the actor has done anything to correct the conduct that caused his dismissal.

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.

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.

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