Charlie Chaplin “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”

Charlie Chaplin Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London, England, on April 16th Charlie was thrown on his own resources before he reached the age of ten as the early death of his father and the subsequent illness of his mother made it necessary for Charlie and his brother, Sydney, to fend for themselves.

Charlie Chaplin Having inherited natural talents from their parents, the youngsters took to the stage as the best opportunity for a career. When he was about fourteen, he got his first chance to act in a legitimate stage show, and appeared as “Billy” the page boy, in support of William Gillette in “Sherlock Holmes”.

Charlie Chaplin Charlie started a career as a comedian in vaudeville, which eventually took him to the United States in 1910 as a featured player with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company. His entrance in the cinema world took place when he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. His initial salary was $150 a week, but his overnight success on the screen spurred other producers to start negotiations for his services.

Charlie Chaplin “The Tramp” He was best known for his character, the naive and lovable Little Tramp. A well meaning man in a raggedy suit with cane, always found himself wobbling into awkward situations and miraculously wobbling away. More than any other figure, it is this kind-hearted character that we associate with the time before the talkies.

Charlie Chaplin—”The Tramp” Chaplin developed a character who wore baggy pants, a tight frock coat, large shoes on the wrong feet and a black derby hat.

Charlie Chaplin—The Director By his thirteenth film, Caught in the Rain (1914), Chaplin began to direct his own films. Chaplin now slowed the pace of his films, reduced the number of visual jokes but increased the time spent on each one. Chaplin placed the emphasis on the character rather than slapstick events. The themes of his films became more serious and reflected his childhood experiences of poverty, hunger and loneliness. Chaplin's work revolutionized film comedy and turned it into an art form.

Charlie Chaplin—The Director Chaplin’s slapstick acrobatics made him famous, but the subtleties of his acting made him great. Chaplin was known as one of the most demanding men in Hollywood. Chaplin knew that a successful scene was not simply about the star, but about everyone on the screen. He demanded that the entire cast work together in every performance.

Charlie Chaplin—The Director This constant attention to detail ran many features over- time and over-budget, but the public reaction assured him and the studios that what he was doing worked. As his popularity increased he took more liberties with filming. Movies such as his 1925 hit, “The Gold Rush”, demanded unending reworking of scenes and rebuilding of sets. He shot and printed hundreds of takes when making a movie, each one a little experimental variation. While this method was unorthodox, because of the expense and inefficiency, it provided lively and spontaneous footage.

Charlie Chaplin—The Director Taking what he learned from the footage, Chaplin would often completely reorganize a scene. It was not uncommon for him to decide half-way through a film that an actor wasn’t working and start over with someone new. Many actors found the constant takes and uncertainty grueling, but always went along because they knew they were working for a master.

Charlie Chaplin In 1919 Chaplin joined with D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford to form United Artists, a company that enabled the stars to distribute their films without studio interference. Films produced by Chaplin and his company included The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), The Circus (1928) and City Lights (1931).

Charlie Chaplin—Politics Chaplin became increasingly concerned with politics. A strong supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Modern Times (1936), was seen by some critics as an attack on capitalism. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), began compiling a file on Chaplin's activities, including his friendship with radicals such as Upton Sinclair, H. G. Wells, Hanns Eisner, Albert Einstein and Harold Laski.

Charlie Chaplin --Politics A strong opponent of racism, in 1937 Chaplin decided to make a film on the dangers of fascism. The Great Dictator attempts were made to stop the film being made: UA thought there would run into censorship trouble. “Many were concerned about an anti-Hitler picture and doubted whether it could be shown in Britain. I was determined to go ahead, for Hitler must be laughed at." (from his autobiography) By the time The Great Dictator was finished, Britain was at war with Germany and it was used as propaganda against Hitler.

Charlie Chaplin—Politics After the WWII the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began to investigate people with left-wing views in the entertainment industry. In September 1947 Chaplin was subpoenaed to appear before the HUAC but three times his meeting was postponed. Unknown to Chaplin, J. Edgar Hoover, and the FBI, now had a 1,900 page file on his political activities.

Charlie Chaplin In 1952 Chaplin visited London for the premiere of Limelight. Upon returning to the US he discovered his entry permit revoked and had been denied the right to live in the United States. As Chaplin pointed out in his autobiography: "My prodigious sin was, and still is, being a non-conformist. Although I am not a Communist I refused to fall in line by hating them."

Charlie Chaplin Chaplin, blacklisted from making films in Hollywood, responded by making A King in New York (1957). The film stars Chaplin as the deposed king of Estrovia who flees to America where he is tormented by McCarthy style investigations. Chaplin was once again accused of being pro- communist and the film was not released in the United States.

Charlie Chaplin While in exile, Chaplin wrote his memoirs, My Autobiography (1964) and directed the movie, A Countess from Hong Kong (1966). Despite the objections of J. Edgar Hoover, in 1972 Chaplin was invited back to the United States to receive a special award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was also allowed to distribute his satire on McCarthyism, A King in New York. Charles Chaplin died in Switzerland on 25th December, 1977.

Charlie Chaplin--Films The Kid (6 reels) (1920) Chaplin’s first full-length movie, and one of his best—the Tramp befriends an orphaned child, raises him as only the Tramp could, and then struggles to keep the boy when circumstances threaten to tear them apart. Of all of films, Chaplin wants to be remembered most for this one. The Gold Rush (full length) (1925) A lone prospector (Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp) ventures into Alaska looking for gold. He gets mixed up with some burly characters and falls in love with the beautiful Georgia. He tries to win her heart with his singular charm. Limelight (full length) (1953) The story of a once-great stage comedian, who’s career has failed and has become an alcholic, who saves the life of a despondent ballerina from a suicide attempt. The film is a juxtaposition of these two personalities, one who rallies & goes onward, the other who falls further.

Charlie Chaplin---Films The Great Dictator (1936) In Chaplin’s classic satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double—a poor Jewish barber—who one day is mistaken for Hynkel A King in New York (1957) The story is about an overthrown monarch who arrives in New York to find that his prime minister has absconded with all his funds. Running up massive bills in his hotel, he is persuaded to make television commercials. Meanwhile, the monarch meets a precocious lad who is being harassed by government agents to betray his parents. Frustrated by American society, he leaves the country, but not before he passes on to the young boy the hope for a better future. Modern Times (1936) Charlie Chaplin’s legendary satire of the mechanized world. As a factory worker driven bonkers by the soulless momentum of work, Chaplin executes a series of slapstick routines around machines, including a memorable encounter with an automatic feeding apparatus, as well as creating a touching relationship between the Tramp and a street gamine played by Paulette Goddard

Charlie Chaplin--Quotes I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can't help it. It's the truth. A day without laughter is a day wasted. All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl. Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.

Charlie Chaplin--Quotes I am at peace with God. My conflict is with Man. I don't believe that the public knows what it wants; this is the conclusion that I have drawn from my career. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the make-up made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked onto the stage he was fully born.

Charlie Chaplin--Quotes Life could be wonderful if people would leave you alone. Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage. We think too much and feel too little.