The Bond (1918)
A wartime allegory pictures friendship, love, and marriage as different kinds of bond, before turning to its real purpose: urging audiences to buy Liberty Bonds to fund the American war effort.
The Bond was produced without charge for the Liberty Loan Committee, one of several shorts Chaplin made during the First World War to support the government bond drives, its spare sets and blunt allegory setting it apart from his usual Mutual-style comedies.
Background
The Bond was produced free of charge for the Liberty Loan Committee, one of several short films Chaplin made during the First World War specifically to support the American government’s war bond drives. Unlike his usual Mutual-style comedies, the film is structured as a wartime allegory, using sparse, almost stage-like sets to picture friendship, love, and marriage as different kinds of bonds before turning directly to its real purpose: urging audiences to buy Liberty Bonds to help fund the war effort.
What to watch for
Watch for how deliberately the film sets aside Chaplin’s usual slapstick plotting in favor of direct allegory and a blunt closing appeal to the audience, a notable departure from his commercial work of the period. It is a useful example of how major film stars were enlisted into wartime propaganda efforts during the First World War, using their popularity to support government fundraising campaigns.
