How to Make Movies

'How to Make Movies' is not quite a movie neither a documentary. It shows behind the scenes life in the film studio, some technical processes like developing the film or rehearsing for the camera, but there are also staged scenes that include Chaplin's stock company, including Edna Purviance. Filmed in 1918, but never released for the general public before some footage from this was included in 'The Chaplin Revue' in 1959. This short is now available on DVD usually together with 'The Kid'.

The movie itself, like I said is not quite a movie at all. It basically lacks the plot - Chaplin seems to get his wish granted by some sort of genie. We see the studio facilities emerge and then we are already inside the filmmaking process. Then Charles Chaplin dresses himself up as his most known character - The Tramp - and goes into the golf course to cause some mild troubles for other players. Then he returns to his studio and proceeds with filmmaking.

'How to Make Movies' independently holds little artistic value, but it is still an interesting glance behind the scenes of the filmmaking more than a hundred years ago.