David Robinson

Chaplin vs the FBI

How FBI followed Charles Chaplin for 50 years. Hoover was convinced that Chaplin is a communist or communist supporter.

Chaplin's Limelight: Its Evolution and Intimacy

A video essay on Charlie Chaplin's film "Limelight" (1952).

Searching for the Lost Pochta

Travelogue of two film historians Nikolay Izvolov and Sergey Kapterev who visit world film archives around the globe in search of a lost sound version of one famous Soviet cartoon. It's "The Post" made by Mikhail Tsekhanovsky in 1929 and based on a poem by Samuil Marshak. At first "The Post" has been released in a silent form and later Tsekhanovsky remade it with experimental music and narration by Daniil Kharms. At that moment it was the first Soviet sound cartoon and it was a success all over the world. Russian film studies consider "The Post" to be of great importance and artistic value but unfortunately it's still lost. Only the silent version and the 1964 remake are still known and available.

The Thanhouser Studio and the Birth of American Cinema

One-hour documentary recounts the untold story of the remarkable rise and fall of the Thanhouser Studio, one of American’s pioneering motion picture studios during the first decade of the twentieth century. It traces the evolution of one family’s career as it transitioned from producing live theater to establishing one of the most successful independent silent motion picture studios. The Thanhouser Studio produced and released over 1,000 silent motion pictures that were acclaimed by critics and seen by audiences around the world. Set against a background of the industry playing out in New York, Florida and California, it is a compelling story of fame and fortune, twisted by the vagaries of fate and ending on a bittersweet note.

Birth of the Tramp

A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall success in England to his early Hollywood days and the development of his enormously popular character, the Little Tramp, also called Charlot.

Strolling Into the Sunset

Documentary about the making of Chaplin (1992).

Chaplin the Hero

Short documentary exploring the fame and talent of Charlie Chaplin.

The Most Famous Man in the World!

A look at Charlie Chaplin and his rise to fame.

A Very British Psycho

A documentary film examining Michael Powell's 1960 film "Peeping Tom," the controversy surrounding its release, and the life of its screenwriter, Leo Marks.

Voices That Care

Behind the scenes making of the charity single "Voices That Care".