Chaplin is, along with Stanley Kubrick, the OTHER genius of the cinema. Like the bearded wonder, he worked long and hard on a film and when that film was released, it was met with controversy and, in some cases, bitterness. Both artists are now recognised as true visionaries of their time, and although Chaplin was more often than not just a silly man with a tache and a silly walk, his greatest films reflect the social upheavals of the time. In films like Modern Times and The Great Dictator, he moved away from simple slapstick and tackled contemporary, whether it was social depression and communism, or totalitarianism from Nazi Germany. As for images to burn forever, try the single greatest close-up in film history - City Lights, the majestic ballet with the floating globe - The Great Dictator, and the iconic last image of the final shot of the Tramp, heading off - for the first ever time- with a companion, in Modern Times. A true genius and a misunderstood visionary that dared to create art when the cinema form was still being ridiculed.
For the record, here are my favourite Chaplin films in order of preference:
City Lights - simply perfection
Modern Times - Timeless
The Gold Rush - hilarious and exciting
The Great Dictator - apart from a lame ending, a triumph
The Circus - lesser work, but still a classic
The Kid - breaks the heart to this day
A Woman Of Paris - proof that he could handle drama
Monsieur Verdoux - daring
Limelight - his true swansong