Charlie Chaplin - Maestro of World Cinema - Laughter the Best Medicine - City Lights : A Silent Movie which Speaks...
Charlie Chaplin – Maestro of World Cinema – Laughter the
Best Medicine - City Lights : A Silent Movie which Speaks...
Sir Charles Spencer
"Charlie" Chaplin was a
British comic actor and filmmaker of the 20th Century who rose to
fame in the silent film era.
Chaplin became a
worldwide icon through his screen persona "the
Tramp"and is considered one of the most important
figures of the film industry.
Charlie
Chaplin was nicknamed as The Tramp. The Little Tramp –
according to Chaplin, a tramp is a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.
Funny
acts are always a hit at talent shows, and the more absurd they are, the
better. If you're holding a talent show, give prize for the funniest act to
encourage more people to make the audience laugh.
Many of the celebrity actors of the Indian cinema found to
be have privileged to mime Charlie
Chaplin. Mime is the
art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by
gestures and bodily movements.
Charlie
Chaplin made me to laugh my belly out since my childhood days. One of the best feelings in the world is the
deep-rooted belly
laugh.
Chaplin undoubtedly tickled my funny bone more than any other comedians
in the world cinema.
Kamal Haasan
Sri Devi
Vidya Balan Raj Kapoor
The
versatile Indian actors Kamal
Haasan and Sri Devi mimed Charlie
Chaplin in movies with excellent results.
The recent photo shoot for the Filmfare magazine cover photo and feature
of Vidya
Balan as Charlie Chaplin is
remarkable.
The
bollywood mogul Raj Kapoor was famous
for his Tramp act too.
Chaplin "arguably
the single most important artist produced by the cinema, certainly its most
extraordinary performer and probably still its most universal icon".
Glorious
tribute is paid to the maestro of world cinema Charlie Chaplin by Indian film
industry. Photo inset Amitabh Bachchan.
Apart from the above mentioned Indian actors many others too found joy in depicting Charlie Chaplin on celluloid.
The sense of humor by Indian English stand
up comedians Vir Das and Kenneth Sebastian found me drooling for more and more. The intelligent abstract humor in the duos’
comedy shows are priceless. These two
comedians drives you crazy in the real sense.
It is rightly said that the laughter
increases one’s life span. Also, the
popular English magazine “Readers Digest” claim that the laughter is the best medicine
has been proven correct.
Almost all the Indian Entertainment TV
Channels have a special program of “The Comedy Grid” or the funny sequences from
movies which are finding popularity with television audiences in India. After the dinner we have a sweet delicacy
served, likewise comedy programs at dinner time is an icing on the cake. The
Comedy Nights with Kapil Sharma is a popular laugh riot on Indian mini screen Colors
TV. Many episodes feature celebrity
guests who usually appear to promote their latest films in a comedy-focused
talk show format. The appetite for
comedy has become a daily routine.
Now
let us examine our patron saint Genesius or Charlie Chaplin’s biography –
Charlie Chaplin
Comedian , film actor, film producer (1889–1977)
Charlie Chaplin was a comedic British actor who became one of the biggest stars of the 20th century's silent-film era. He was the funniest ever artist of on-screen comedy.
“I
want to see the return of decency and kindness.”
—Charlie Chaplin
Born on April 16, 1889, in Walworth, London,
England, UK, Charlie Chaplin worked with
a children's dance troupe before making his mark on the big screen. His
character "The Tramp" relied on pantomime and quirky movements to
become an iconic figure of the silent-film era. Chaplin went on to become a
director, making films such as City Lights and Modern Times,
and co-founded the United Artists Corporation. He had a height of 5’5” (1.65
m). He died on a Christmas day in
Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland, on December 25, 1977.
Famous for his character "The Tramp,"
the sweet little man with a bowler hat, mustache and cane, Charlie Chaplin was
an iconic figure of the silent-film era and one of film's first superstars,
elevating the industry in a way few could have ever imagined.
His father was a
versatile vocalist and actor; and his mother, known under the stage name of
Lily Harley, was an attractive actress and singer, who gained a reputation for
her work in the light opera field.
Armed with his mother's love of the stage,
Chaplin was determined to make it in show business himself, and in 1897, using
his mother's contacts, landed with a clog-dancing troupe named the Eight
Lancashire Lads. It was a short stint, and not a terribly profitable one,
forcing the go-getter Chaplin to make ends meet any way he could.
"I (was) newsvendor, printer, toymaker,
doctor's boy, etc., but during these occupational digressions, I never lost
sight of my ultimate aim to become an actor," Chaplin later recounted.
"So, between jobs I would polish my shoes, brush my clothes, put on a
clean collar and make periodic calls at a theatrical agency."
Eventually other stage work did come his way.
Chaplin made his acting debut as a pageboy in a production of Sherlock
Holmes. From there he toured with a vaudeville outfit named Casey's Court
Circus and in 1908 teamed up with the Fred Karno pantomime troupe, where
Chaplin became one of its stars as the Drunk in the comedic sketch A
Night in an English Music Hall.
With the Karno troupe, Chaplin got his first
taste of the United States, where he caught the eye of film producer Mack
Sennett, who signed Chaplin to a contract for a $150 a week.
Charlie Chaplin’s Home
In 1914 Chaplin made his film debut in a somewhat
forgettable one-reeler called Make a Living. To differentiate himself
from the clad of other actors in Sennett films, Chaplin decided to play a
single identifiable character, and "The Little Tramp" was born, with
audiences getting their first taste of him in Kid Auto Races at Venice
(1914).
Over the next year, Chaplin appeared in 35
movies, a lineup that included Tillie's Punctured Romance, film's
first full-length comedy. In 1915 Chaplin left Sennett to join the Essanay
Company, which agreed to pay him $1,250 a week. It is with Essanay that
Chaplin, who by this time had hired his brother Sydney to be his business
manager, rose to stardom.
During his first year with the company, Chaplin
made 14 films, including The Tramp (1915). Generally regarded as the
actor's first classic, the story establishes Chaplin's character as the
unexpected hero when he saves the farmer's daughter from a gang of robbers.
Charlie Chaplin studios
When his contract with Mutual expired in 1917,
Chaplin decided to become an independent producer in a desire for more freedom
and greater leisure in making his movies. To that end, he busied himself with
the construction of his own studios. This plant was situated in the heart of
the residential section of Hollywood at La Brea Avenue.
Early in 1918, Chaplin entered into an agreement
with First National Exhibitors’ Circuit, a new organization specially formed to
exploit his pictures. His first film under this new deal was "A Dog’s
Life". After this production, he turned his attention to a national tour
on behalf of the war effort, following which he made a film the US government
used to popularize the Liberty Loan drive: "The Bond".
This proved a veritable mirthquake at the box
office and added enormously to Chaplin’s popularity. This he followed with
"Sunnyside" and "A Day’s Pleasure", both released in 1919.
During the 1920s Chaplin's career blossomed even
more.
Then, feeling the need of a complete rest from
his motion picture activities, Chaplin sailed for Europe in September 1921.
London, Paris, Berlin and other capitals on the continent gave him tumultuous
receptions.
After an extended vacation in Europe, Chaplin
returned to Hollywood to resume his picture work and start his active association
with United Artists.
During the decade he made some landmark films,
including The Kid (1921), The Pilgrim (1923), A Woman in
Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), a movie Chaplin would later
say he wanted to be remembered by, and The Circus (1928). The latter
three were released by United Artists, a company Chaplin co-founded in 1919
with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith.
Chaplin became equally famous for his life off-screen. His affairs with actresses who had roles in his movies were numerous. Some, however, ended better than others.
Chaplin became equally famous for his life off-screen. His affairs with actresses who had roles in his movies were numerous. Some, however, ended better than others.
In 1918 he quickly married 16-year-old Mildred
Harris. The marriage lasted just two years, and in 1924 he wed again, to
another 16-year-old, actress Lita Grey, whom he'd cast in The Gold Rush.
The marriage had been brought on by an unplanned pregnancy, and the resulting
union, which produced two sons for Chaplin (Charles Jr. and Sydney) was an
unhappy one for both partners. They divorced in 1927.
In 1936, Chaplin married again, this time to a chorus
girl who went by the film name of Paulette Goddard. They lasted until 1942.
That was followed by a nasty paternity suit with another actress, Joan Barry,
in which tests proved Chaplin was not the father of her daughter, but a jury
still ordered him to pay child support.
In 1943, Chaplin married 18-year-old Oona
O'Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Unexpectedly the two would
go on to have a happy marriage, one that would result in eight children.
Chaplin kept creating interesting and engaging
films in the 1930s. In 1931, he released City Lights, a critical and
commercial success that incorporated music Chaplin scored himself.
The premieres were among the most brilliant the
cinema had ever seen. In Los Angeles, Chaplin’s guest was Albert Einstein;
while in London Bernard Shaw sat beside him. "City Lights" was a
critical triumph. All Chaplin’s struggles and anxieties, it seemed, were
compensated by the film which still appears as the zenith of his achievement
and reputation.
He was good friends with Winston Churchil as
well.
SYNOPSIS
City Lights is a 1931 American silent
romantic comedy film written by, directed by,
and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the
misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia
Cherrill) and develops a turbulent friendship with an alcoholic millionaire
(Harry
Myers).
 |
The officials of a city unveil a new statue, only
to find The
Tramp(Charles Chaplin) sleeping on it. They shoo him away and he wanders
the streets, destitute and homeless, and is soon tormented by two newsboys. He
happens upon a beautiful Flower Girl (Virginia
Cherrill), not realizing at first that she is blind, and buys a flower.
Just when she is about to give him his change, a man gets into a nearby luxury
car and is driven away, making her think that the Tramp has departed. The Tramp
tiptoes away.
The Little Tramp first meets the Flower Girl, and discovers she is blind when she cannot find a dropped flower.
That evening, the Tramp runs into a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) who is attempting suicide on the waterfront. (It is later mentioned that his wife has sent for her bags.) The Tramp eventually convinces The Millionaire he should live. He takes the Tramp back to his mansion and gives him a change of clothes. They go out for a night on the town, where the Tramp inadvertently causes much havoc. Early the next morning, they return to the mansion and encounter the Flower Girl en route to her vending spot. The Tramp asks The Millionaire for some money, which he uses to buy all the girl's flowers and then drives her home in the Millionaire's Rolls-Royce.
After he leaves, the Flower Girl tells her
grandmother (Florence Lee) about her wealthy acquaintance. When the
Tramp returns to the mansion, the Millionaire has sobered and does not remember
him, so has the butler order him out. Later that day, the Millionaire meets the
Tramp again while intoxicated, and invites him home for a lavish party. The
next morning, having sobered again and planning to leave for a cruise, the
Millionaire again has the Tramp tossed out.
Returning to the Flower Girl's apartment, the
Tramp spies her being attended by a doctor. Deciding to take a job to earn
money for her, he becomes a street
sweeper. Meanwhile, the grandmother receives a notice that she and the girl
will be evicted if they cannot pay their back rent by the next day, but hides
it. The Tramp visits the girl on his lunch break, and sees a newspaper story
about a Viennese doctor who has devised an operation that cures blindness. He
then finds the eviction notice and reads it aloud at the girl's request. He
reassures her that he will pay the rent. But he returns to work late and is
fired.
As he is walking away, a boxer persuades him to
stage a fake fight, promising to split the $50 prize money. Just before the
bout, however, the man receives a telegram warning him that the police are
after him. He flees, leaving the Tramp a no-nonsense replacement opponent.
Despite a valiant effort, the Tramp is knocked out.
Some time later, he meets the drunken
millionaire, who has just returned from Europe. The Millionaire takes him to
the mansion and after he hears the girl's plight, gives the Tramp $1,000.
Unbeknownst to the Millionaire and the Tramp, two burglars were hiding in the
house when they entered. Upon hearing about the cash, they knock out the
millionaire and take the rest of his money. The Tramp telephones for the
police, but the robbers flee before they arrive, and the butler assumes he
stole the money. The Millionaire cannot remember the Tramp or giving him the
$1,000. The Tramp narrowly escapes and gives the money to the girl saying he
will be going away for a while. Later, he is arrested in front of the newsboys
who taunted him earlier, and jailed.
Months later, the Tramp is released. Searching
for the girl, he returns to her customary street corner but does not find her.
With her sight restored, the girl has opened up a flourishing flower shop with
her grandmother. When a rich customer comes into the shop, the girl briefly wonders
if he is her mysterious benefactor. But when he leaves with no acknowledgement,
she realizes again she is wrong. While retrieving a flower from the gutter
outside the shop, the Tramp is again tormented by the two newsboys. As he turns
to leave, he finds himself staring at the girl through the window. His despair
turns to elation and he forgets about the flower. Seeing that he has crushed
the flower he retrieved, the girl kindly offers him a fresh one and a coin. The
Tramp begins to leave, then reaches for the flower. When the girl takes hold of
his hand to place the coin in it, she recognizes the touch of his hand and
realizes he is no stranger. "You?" she says, and he nods, asking,
"You can see now?" She replies, sobbing, "Yes, I can see
now." The Tramp smiles shyly at the girl as the film ends. – (End of Synopsis).
City Lights was immediately successful
upon release on January 30, 1931, with positive reviews and box office receipts
of $5 million. Today, critics consider it not only one of the highest accomplishments
of Chaplin's career, but one of the greatest films ever made. In 1992, the Library of Congress selected City Lights
for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being
"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2007,
the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movies ranked
City Lights as the 11th greatest American film of all time. In 1949, the
critic James
Agee referred to the final scene in the film as the "greatest single
piece of acting ever committed to celluloid".
He read books on economic theory; and devised his
own Economic Solution, an intelligent exercise in utopian idealism, based on a
more equitable distribution not just of wealth but of work.
Chaplin’s versatility extended to writing, music
and sports. He was the author of at least four books, "My Trip
Abroad", "A Comedian Sees the World", "My
Autobiography", "My Life in Pictures" as well as all of his
scripts. An accomplished musician, though self-taught, he played a variety of
instruments with equal skill and facility (playing violin and cello
left-handed).
He was also a composer, having written and
published many songs, among them: "Sing a Song"; "With You Dear
in Bombay"; and "There’s Always One You Can’t Forget","Smile", "Eternally",
"You are My Song", as well as the soundtracks for all his films
Charles Chaplin was one of the rare comedians who not only financed and
produced all his films (with the exception of "A Countess from Hong
Kong"), but was the author, actor, director and soundtrack composer of
them as well.
More acclaim came with Modern Times (1936), a biting commentary about the state of the world's economic and political infrastructures. The film, which did incorporate sound, was, in part, the result of an 18-month world tour Chaplin had taken between 1931 and 1932, a trip during which he'd witnessed severe economic angst and a sharp rise in nationalism in Europe and elsewhere.
Chaplin spoke even louder in The Great
Dictator (1940), which pointedly ridiculed the governments of Hitler and
Mussolini. "I want to see the return of decency and kindness,"
Chaplin said around the time of the film's release. "I'm just a human
being who wants to see this country a real democracy . . ."
But Chaplin was not
universally embraced. His romantic liaisons led to his rebuke by some women's
groups, which in turn led to him being barred from entering some U.S. states.
As the Cold War age settled into existence, Chaplin didn't withhold his fire
from injustices he saw taking place in the name of fighting Communism in his
adopted country of the United States.
Chaplin soon became a target of the right-wing
conservatives. Representative John E. Rankin of Mississippi pushed for his
deportation. In 1952, the Attorney General of the United States obliged when he
announced that Chaplin, who was sailing to Britain on vacation, would not
permitted to return to the United States unless he could prove "moral
worth." The incensed Chaplin said good-bye to United States and took up
residence on a small farm in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
Nearing the end
of his life, Chaplin did make one last visit to the United States in 1972, when
he was given an honorary Academy Award. The trip came just five years after
Chaplin's final film, A
Countess from Hong Kong (1967), the filmmaker's first
and only color movie. Despite a cast that included Sophia Loren and Marlon
Brando, the film did poorly at the box office. In 1975, Chaplin received
further recognition when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
In the early morning hours of December 25, 1977,
Charlie Chaplin died at his home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. His
wife, Oona, and seven of his children were at his bedside at the time of his
passing. In a twist that might very well have come out of one of his films,
Chaplin's body was stolen not long after he was buried from his grave near Lake
Geneva in Switzerland by two men who demanded $400,000 for its return. The men
were arrested and Chaplin's body was recovered 11 weeks later.
Filmography
Directed features:
- The Kid (1921)
- A Woman of Paris (1923)
- The Gold Rush (1925)
- The Circus (1928)
- City Lights (1931)
- Modern Times (1936)
- The Great Dictator (1940)
- Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
- Limelight (1952)
- A King in New York (1957)
- A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
Chaplin received three Academy
Awards: an Honorary Award
for "versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing, and producing The
Circus" in 1929, a second Honorary Award for "the incalculable
effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century"
in 1972, and a Best Score
award in 1973 for Limelight (shared with Ray Rasch and Larry Russell).He
was further nominated in the Best Actor,
Best Original
Screenplay, and Best Picture
(as producer) categories for The Great Dictator, and received another
Best Original Screenplay nomination for Monsieur Verdoux.
Some of the other comedy geniuses includes
Mr.Bean and Laurel Hardey. The Carry on Doctor movie series was also a huge hit with the
audiences.
The
mimicry shows by “Cochin Kalabhavan” , Kerala, a group of young talented
artists who mime film artists and political figures are at its uproarious and hilarious
best too. Many artists from the group
later made it to the “Mallu” filmworld
or Mollywood and became leading actors.
The
likes of comedy stars Robin Williams
(Mrs. Doubtfire) and Dudley Moore (‘10’) made a mirth-quaking presence in recent Hollywood.
Bollywood
silent movie “Pushpak” -
The Indian modern era silent Bollywood movie “PUSHPAK” was a huge hit. The critics and movie-goers both appreciated the film and the lead pair Kamal Haasan and Amala stolen the heart of film lovers and the movie remains to be an all time classic in this genre. The film was directed by Sangeetam Sreenivasrao. The movie “Pushpak” is a sophisticated classic silent film. The background score by Vaidyanathan is excellent. This was a silent movie which did speak and the director’s oeuvre was remarkable. The art direction was praiseworthy too.
The Indian modern era silent Bollywood movie “PUSHPAK” was a huge hit. The critics and movie-goers both appreciated the film and the lead pair Kamal Haasan and Amala stolen the heart of film lovers and the movie remains to be an all time classic in this genre. The film was directed by Sangeetam Sreenivasrao. The movie “Pushpak” is a sophisticated classic silent film. The background score by Vaidyanathan is excellent. This was a silent movie which did speak and the director’s oeuvre was remarkable. The art direction was praiseworthy too.
Dr.Kamal
Haasan is a versatile Indian actor,
director and producer of movies who has also done comedy based roles in film like “Chachi 420” and
“Appu Raja”. Kamal Haasan has unique talent of acting and has the
knowledge of every aspects of film making. This is an actor whom I watched with
curiosity and loved since my growing up years. He has done a sterling
performance as a village idiot in the Tamil movie “16 Vayathinile”. He is an
actor par excellence. Kamal Haasan’s
favorite actor being Hollywood legend “Robert De Niro” the Martin
Scorsese’ “Taxi Driver” fame.
Chaplinisque
entertainment conquers one and all in the modern times as well. Charles Chaplin was the king of comedy and
ensures a firm place in the movie-goers’ hearts.
My
choice of “Charlie Chaplin” for my Golden Jubilee Blog
post is justified as I would like to see my audiences hail and hearty with good
laughter and cheers to adorn their
successful lives. In other words, I wish
my audiences all the success, good health and happiness in their lives in this world.
posted by Unknown @ 23:45
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