The Freak

This article is about the unfinished Charlie Chaplin comedy. For the 1932 Tod Browning film, see Freaks. For the comic book character, see Freak (comics). For the baseball player nicknamed The Freak, see Tim Lincecum.

The Freak was an unfinished dramatic comedy from Charles Chaplin. The story revolved around a young South American girl who unexpectedly sprouts a pair of wings. She is kidnapped and taken to London, where her captors cash in by passing her off as an angel. Later she escapes, only to be arrested because of her appearance. She is further dehumanized by standing trial to determine if she is human at all.

Chaplin began work in and around 1969 with his daughter Victoria in mind for the lead role. However, Victoria's abrupt marriage and his advanced age proved as roadblocks and the film was never made. Chaplin's memoir, My Life in Pictures (1974), describes The Freak as a work still in progress. He also mentioned his intent to make it in an interview on his 85th birthday in 1974. "I mean to make it someday", Chaplin writes in a caption alongside a photograph of Victoria in winged costume. No footage from the film is known to exist, though brief color footage of Victoria in wings can be seen in Charlie Chaplin - Les années suisses (2003).

The script is currently locked away in Switzerland.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Interview from Independent Film Quarterly
• The Official Charles Chaplin website
• Selection from Chaplin in the Sound Era: An Analysis of the Seven Talkies by Eric L. Flom