In the spring of 1889, Charlie Chaplin was born to almost unknown music hall performing parents. The boy grew up to become the biggest international star of American silent comedy films. He also became the first media superstar of the 20th century, the first artistic creator. Chaplin was the first recognized artistic genius of world cinema, recognized by the influential generation of artists and moviegoers.
While many stars of the silent era have been forgotten by audiences, Charlie Chaplin remains a household name in most parts of the world.
Charlie Chaplin had to face a very turbulent childhood. His parents separated even before he was three years old. His mother, actress Lily Harvey, lived with Charlie. Little Charlie also lived in different places before he and his brother were sent to Kennington Road School and later to a school for the poor, due to his financial situation. These were a shock to the sensitive boy and the pain and agony of desperate poverty was later reflected in the characters in his films. The themes of his films were heavily influenced by incidents and experiences from his childhood.
His genius was essentially pantomime, ideally suited to the silent era. Chaplin’s early comedies used extreme physical comedy and exaggerated gestures. But his pantomime was more subtle. The visual gags were pure fun. The hobo character would aggressively assault his enemies with kicks and bricks. People loved him, though critics noted that his comedy bordered on vulgar.
During the period from 1918 to 1922, he made films such as A Dog’s Life, The Kid, The Idle Class, and The Pilgrim. After some short films like Essanay, Mutual Film Corporation and First National, he got involved in different facets of cinema like acting, directing and producing. Some of his films were A Woman from Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925) and The Circus (1928). He also produced the masterpieces City Lights (1931) as well as Modern Times (1936). Although they were silent films, they were immensely popular and had their own music and sound effects. City Lights was by far the most balanced movie of his, dealing with comedy and feelings.
His sound films made in Hollywood include The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and Limelight (1952). Although Modern Times (1936) is not a talkie, it does contain dialogue from inanimate objects such as a radio. The reason behind this was that during the silent movie period, viewers were not used to the concept of hearing dialogue and watching a performance simultaneously. In fact, The Circus (1928) was the first film where Chaplin’s voice was heard.
Talkies became the dominant and popular way of making movies from 1927, but Chaplin balked at the idea because he considered cinema to be an art of pantomime. Now let’s look at some of his movies in detail.
Limelight tells the story of a once-great comedian whose career failed, leading to alcoholism. The man ultimately saves the life of a ballerina despondent from a suicide attempt. Monsieur Verdoux is a fast-paced black comedy released in 1947. Chaplin stars as Henri Verdoux, a civilized monster who marries rich women, then murders them and uses their money to support his real family.
A Woman from Paris was written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. It was designed to launch Edna Purviance into a serious acting career. The Circus tells the story of a failed circus that recruits the little bum who breaks into the center ring of the tent and shocks the audience. The circus owner discovers that he is only funny when he doesn’t try to be. He tricks The Little Tramp into joining the circus as a prop man who wreaks havoc on everything he does and unknowingly becomes the star of the show.
Gold Rush is one of his best works. The little tramp is a gold prospector who has ventured to Alaska in search of his fortune. He gets involved with some pretty scary characters, while falling in love with a beautiful girl named Georgia. The Gold Rush has some beautiful cinematic moments.
City Lights is considered his own son. He wrote the screenplay and provided the music and also directed, produced and edited this classic film. Made in 1931, City Lights was made as a non-speech film. The movie is about the ups and downs of the little tramp, in love with a girl who thinks she is someone else.
Modern Times is a glorious film that is probably just as relevant today as it was in 1936. The film makes incredibly clever use of sound with its rather sophisticated sound effects. Modern Times explores the dehumanization of work. The film then goes on to depict the closure of the factories, reflecting on the Great Depression in the US economy in that period.
The Great Dictator is much darker than most other comedies. It is a film with a serious message with satirical overtones. The Great Dictator explores the growing Nazi threat in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
