Silent Traces

Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin is the long-awaited follow-up to John Bengtson’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Silent Echoes: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Buster Keaton.

In Silent Traces, Bengtson explores the traces of early Hollywood hidden within Charlie Chaplin’s timeless films. This stunning work of cinematic archeology combines Chaplin’s movie images with archival photographs, vintage maps, and scores of then-and-now comparison photographs to conjure up the silent-movie era from an entirely new perspective.

By describing the historical settings found in such Chaplin classics as The Kid, City Lights, and Modern Times, Bengtson illuminates both Chaplin’s genius and the evolving city that served as a backdrop for his art. Part time machine, part detective story, Silent Traces presents a unique look at Chaplin’s work, and a captivating glimpse into Hollywood’s most romantic era.