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CHARLES CHAPLIN |
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CHARLIE CHAPLIN
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As a youngster there was nothing shown on television that I enjoyed more than the film shorts made by Laurel and Hardy. One of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of the school holidays was the hope that one or more of their films would be shown on TV. I remember one summer holiday when a whole series of laurel and Hardy films was shown. What a highlight of every morning, even though they dated back to the 1930's! The thing that appealed about Laurel and Hardy was the slapstick comedy. To a school-boy there was nothing better than someone falling off a ladder or having a tin of paint empty all over their head! Laurel and Hardy were brilliant performers and the films were very cleverly made with perfect timing and superbly executed slapstick comedy which caused almost endless roars of laughter. Being, as I was, a rather unsophisticated schoolboy I did not really appreciate the films made by Charles Chaplin. In fact right up until 2006 I had completely overlooked his films. Probably what had put me off the Charlie Chaplin films as a youngster was the fact that they were silent films, unlike many of the Laurel and Hardy films which were 'talkies'. Laurel and Hardy did, of course, make many silent films too, but these tended not to be shown on television. It was not until I saw the Mark Steel Lecture on BBC Four Television that featured the life and work of Charles Chaplin that I came to understand his films in the context of the period in which they are set. I now see Charlie Chaplin in a whole new light, and watching his films is now a real joy and even today his film making art puts some modern film making to shame. They may be in black and white, many of them may be silent, but they all have brilliant and often moving stories, fine acting and show Charlie Chaplin's outstanding film making prowess. The Mark Steel Lecture prompted me to buy the box set of Chaplin movies which contains most all of his highly regarded and important works. Charlie Chaplin : The Little Tramp - A Hero Of His Time Charles Chaplin was born in 1889, his father was a singer and alcoholic who eventually left the family when Charlie was young. Much of Charlie's early life was in the workhouses of London due his mother falling ill. The images of the workhouses remained with Charlie Chaplin throughout his career, and were to influence much of his film works. Charlie Chaplin started off in Music Hall and was a brilliant clown. He toured the USA with Fred Karno's Music Hall where, in 1913 was offered a job in the film industry by the creator of the Keystone Cops, Mack Sennet. It was during his time at Keystone that Charlie Chaplin devised the 'Little Tramp' character that he would play for so many years in his films. At that time tramps, like Charlie's character, were seen as a good symbol of rejection of the modern and mechanized society that was evolving. Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp character was often the hero, flying in the face of corporate society, indeed Charlie Chaplin's Tramp became an icon of the age. Initially while at Mack Sennet's Keystone Films company it was Mack himself that directed the films, they were short and simple slapstick affairs. However Charles Chaplin wanted to produce more challenging material and eventually he would 'cut his teeth' here in the world of film-making and as he felt his way would go on to develop the film making art, changing the way films were made as he began to direct his own films. He made 62 shorts while at Keystone and after leaving the company went on to control every aspect of the films he made. After the period at Keystone Charlie left to join the Essanay Film Company in 1915, and this is where he really developed the Tramp into the character that everyone would recognize today. Charles Chaplin was meticulous with his script-writing and how he directed his scenes. Music was very important and Charles taught himself to read music and wrote his own scores too. Nothing was left to chance, every detail had to be absolutely perfect - and it shows when watching his films, many of which are breathtaking. He stayed with Essanay films until 1916 making many films including My First Job and The Tramp. In 1916 Charlie worked with the Mutual Film Company where he wrote and directed films including The Fireman, The Vagabond, Easy Street and The Immigrant. From 1918 to 1922 was a period with First National Pictures where Charles Chaplin produced movies such as A Dog's Life, The Kid, The Idle Class and The Pilgrim. One the most important periods was while he was at United Artists from 1923. This was a time that saw the adoption of sound movies that Chaplin resisted the adoption of dialogue in his films, although he cleverly used music and sound effects in some films during this time. It was not until 1940 and the making of The Great Dictator that he embraced the age of the talkie. Other films made at United Artists were A Woman Of Paris, The Gold rush, The Circus, Modern Times, Monsieur Verdoux and Limelight. I feel guilty for not watching and appreciating Charlie Chaplin's films until now, but now I do, and even seventy or more years after he made them they are still absolute gems. There are some real masterpieces, but to be fully appreciated they do have to be viewed in the context of the era in which they were made - bearing in mind the social and economic conditions that prevailed. Here are some of his films that you really must see: THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN FILMS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEE: CITY LIGHTS - THE GOLD RUSH - MODERN TIMES - THE GREAT DICTATOR
The Gold Rush - A real comic gem and shows Chaplin as we all might expect to see him. Our heroic Little Tramp is a prospector who has ventured into Alaska in the search for gold and his fortune. He gets involved with some quite frightening and frankly rather violent characters along the way while also falling in love with a beautiful girl called Georgia. He tries to win her love with his charm, but initially she does not take him at all seriously leading to some heartache for our hero. The Gold Rush contains a couple of utterly magical cinematic moments; one where Chaplin cooks and eats his own boot and another where he undergoes a metamorphosis into a chicken in the mind of his fellow prospector. Genius. CITY LIGHTS (1931) Charles Chaplin wrote the screenplay and music and also directed, produced and edited City Lights. The film was made in 1931, a time when the silent films were making way for the 'talkies', however Charlie Chaplin much preferred the silent film which gave a far superior platform for his brand of story telling and comedy. To this end City Lights was made as a film with no speech, but did make clever use of sound with the musical score and sound synchronized effects. The Little Tramp is the subject of mistaken identity as he tries to help a blind girl selling flowers, played by Virginia Cherrill , who mistakes him for a wealthy man. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. The Little Tramp falls in love with the girls who he continues to try to help. The film follows the ups and downs of this situation and finishes with a very moving and tear inducing conclusion. A real 'must see' film.
MODERN TIMES (1936) Modern Times is a glorious film that is probably as relevant today as it was in 1936. Although, as is usual, the Little Tramp did has no dialogue, but the film makes incredibly clever use of sound with its rather sophisticated sound effects. Modern Times explores the the dehumanization of labour starting with a very amusing scene inside the factory in which our hero is trying to tighten bolts on components as they pass him at some speed on the conveyor belt. The film then goes on to describe the closure of the factories, reflecting the times of the great depression, and the Little Tramp's ensuing relationship with an orphan (the Gamin) played by Paulette Goddard. It is a great and moving film, and one in which the Little Tramp character appeared for the last time.
THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940) So many of Charles Chaplin's films were more than simple comedies. Whether exploring the subjects such as love, the horrors of war, life in the city, joblessness, or the inhumanity of the factory production line Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp was not only though provoking but could also bring a laugh and a smile - The Great Dictator is much darker than most however. It certainly could not be described as a comedy but a film with a serious message that does contain some darker comic moments. The Great Dictator explores the rising Nazi threat of the late 1930's and early 1940's and the persecution of the Jewish community, Charlie Chaplin plays two roles; the dictator, Adenoid Hynkel the ruler of Tomania (a character based on Hitler) and the oppressed barber who gets mistaken for Hynkel which allows him to exploit the situation with some amusing moments, but the film also conveys its darker and more serious message which can be quite disturbing perhaps even rather frightening at times. Both characters are portrayed wonderfully by Chaplin. Another 'must see'.
THE CIRCUS - LIMELIGHT - THE KID THE VAGABOND - THE IMMIGRANT - EASY STREET - THE RINK Do let me know if you viewed some of Charles Chaplin's brilliant work after reading this page, and also (hopefully) how much you enjoyed the via the Contact Page. I'd love to know!
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